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By Paul Meyer
CIPS Policy Brief, November 2022

At a glance…

• Nuclear weapons and the existential threat they pose to humanity have assumed a new and disturbing saliency in the last few months.
• The (Nuclear) Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) which entered into force in 1970 and currently has 191 states parties is often referred to as “the cornerstone” of the global nuclear edifice.
• On July 7, 2017 the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) was adopted by a vote of 122 in support to one objection and one abstention. Upon achieving its 50th ratification, the TPNW officially entered into force in January 2021.
• Issues that could benefit from a new approach in Ottawa include a more respectful attitude toward the TPNW, being more active in shaping NATO policy on deterrence and disarmament, taking on more of a leadership role in cooperating with other like-minded states to promote disarmament goals, taking a new tack on a long-standing disarmament goal, and reviving a regular consultation with civil society on disarmament issues.

Paul Meyer is a retired Foreign Service Officer and former Canadian Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations and the Conference on Disarmament, Geneva (2003-2007). He is currently an Adjunct Professor of International Studies at Simon Fraser University and a Director of the Canadian Pugwash Group.

Read the related blog post.

Paul Meyer spoke at a CIPS event on November 28th, 2022. You can listen to his full remarks here: