For Immediate Release: April 25, 2025

Media Contacts: Daryl G. Kimball, executive director, (202) 463-8270 ext. 107; Shizuka Kuramitsu, research assistant, (202) 463-8270 ext. 104

Diplomats representing most of the 191 states-parties to the 1968 nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT), along with representatives from civil society, will convene in at UN headquarters in New York next week for consultations on how to hold together and strengthen implementation and compliance with the international nuclear arms control regime at a time when the risks of nuclear proliferation and nuclear competition are growing.

The meeting arrives at a time of extreme uncertainty: the outcome of negotiations with Iran on its sensitive nuclear activities are not clear; the risk of arms racing is growing as the last remaining treaty regulating the U.S. and Russian nuclear arsenals is due to expire in less than a year, and as China is building up its arsenal. Although President Trump has claimed he is interested in nuclear arms control talks with Russia and China, his administration has not outlined a strategy, key nuclear policy positions remain unfilled, and no talks are underway with either Russia or China on the subject.

Next year, states parties will meet for a month to formally review implementation and compliance with the NPT and seek agreement on steps to advance the treaty’s main goals: preventing the further spread of nuclear weapons and sensitive nuclear technology; halting and reversing the nuclear arms race; advancing nuclear disarmament; and ensuring the peaceful use of nuclear energy. Recent NPT Review Conferences have failed to agree on consensus outcome documents.

Official Schedule and Documents

The first week of the meeting will feature national statements before the meeting turns to a review of thematic issues. The agenda, working papers from delegations, and plenary session speeches are available on the official UN website for the meeting.

Many official and nonofficial side events are scheduled through the course of the month and are listed on this side events calendar from our colleagues at Reaching Critical Will.

If you are not able to attend in person, you can still follow the conference via UN WebTV. Wednesday, April 30 at approximately 3:00 pm Eastern U.S. time for NGO statements.

Interviews and Resources

• "Is the NPT Still Viable? An Interview With Three Diplomats Working to Keep It Alive,” with the current and past chairs of the preparatory committee meetings in Arms Control Today, April 2025
• “How to Save the Irreplaceable Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty: An Interview With Amb. Adam Scheinman,” in Arms Control Today, June 2022
• “When Ukraine Traded Nuclear Weapons for Security Assurances: An Interview with Mariana Budjeryn,” in Arms Control Today, April 2022

Civil Society Statements to the NPT PrepCom

• “The Disarmament Deficit and the Risk of a New Arms Race: A Call for Action to Implement Unfulfilled Article VI Obligations” NGO Statement endorsed by more than 50 experts, leaders, and former officials, as prepared for delivery by Shizuka Kuramitsu, Research Assistant, Arms Control Association, April 30, 2025

ACA Fact Sheets

• “Timeline of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT),” (updated January 2025)
• “The Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty At-A-Glance,” (updated July 2024)
• “Nuclear Weapons: Who Has What at a Glance,” (updated January 2025)
• “The IAEA Safeguards At-A-Glance,” (updated November 2024)