Public Statement | 11th Review Conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) Ends Without Consensus on a Final Document

Dhesarme - Brazilian Action for Humanitarian Disarmament declares its deep concern regarding the results — or lack thereof — of the discussions held during the 11th Review Conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), which took place between April and May of this year.

The Conference, already convened amid expectations of significant challenges due to divergences among States Parties in the conduct of the discussions, reached this year an outcome that was, unfortunately, unsurprising: the failure to adopt a consensual final document.

On one side, a broad position emerged in favor of addressing nuclear risks, which continue to intensify in the face of a scenario marked by remilitarization, rising military expenditures (which reached US$2.8 trillion in 2025), and escalating armed conflicts. On the other side, nuclear-armed States proved strongly resistant to the Conference’s debates, particularly regarding compliance with Article VI of the Treaty.

Despite the scientifically grounded position opposing the irreversible harm caused by Nuclear Weapons, evidenced both by the impacts following the use of such weapons in Hiroshima and Nagasaki and by the devastating legacy of more than two thousand nuclear tests conducted globally, this majority stance among non-nuclear States Parties continues to be countered by the resistance of nuclear-armed States that question such scientific evidence, failing to recognize the fundamentally anti-human nature of these weapons. Possible advances under the Treaty are therefore hindered, despite the fact that, although it is not itself a disarmament treaty, it holds significant potential in proposing control over the devastating power of Nuclear Weapons.

Beyond the deadlocks observed, another structural problem in the progression of the Treaty’s review discussions also became evident: nuclear testing. Unfortunately, a portion of the States present failed to acknowledge the harm caused by such tests, harm that continues to be perceived, experienced, and documented by civilian populations, their communities, and the environment.

Within this context, amid a process marked by intense instability in the drafting of a final document for the Review Conference, it became possible to observe the difficulty in reaching consensus surrounding the document proposed by the President of the Conference, which addressed the impossibility of Iran developing Nuclear Weapons, a controversial passage that, combined with other disagreements, led the President to conclude that consensus on a final document could not be achieved, for the third consecutive review cycle.

This establishes a deeply concerning situation regarding the commitment and willingness of States Parties toward the Treaty, as a clear division among groups of countries has emerged, a political chaos that ultimately encouraged the President not to submit the document for adoption, thereby avoiding the blocking of the text. The current conjuncture, in which the United States and Russia exchange threats concerning a return to nuclear testing and debates over the reversal of previous agreements regain prominence, reveals a scenario of undeniable urgency regarding the resumption of constructive and serious discussions within the framework of the NPT Review Conferences.

Civil society, profoundly affected by the impact of nuclear weapons and nuclear testing, as well as harmed by the exorbitant military expenditures that continue to rise tragically year after year, both contributing to and resulting from the worsening of humanitarian crises, urgently calls for an effective redirection of these discussions, one in which human security serves as the guiding principle of the debates.

It is in this sense that Dhesarme urges the States Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, especially nuclear-armed States, to take immediate action toward the containment and regulation of the use of nuclear weapons, as well as toward addressing their effects, tragically experienced by civilian populations worldwide and severely aggravated by the conduct of nuclear tests.

It is regrettable that, even within a treaty aimed at regulating such weaponry, nuclear-armed States continue to demonstrate such a profound lack of commitment to the protection of Human Rights and to the principles safeguarded by International Humanitarian Law. It is unacceptable that events such as this cease to function as spaces for concrete progress toward human and international security, becoming instead environments not for addressing the structural shortcomings left by the Treaty, the very reason such conferences are held, but for the repetition of the same failures in protecting human rights and the environment.

Dhesarme - Brazilian Action for Humanitarian Disarmament

Foz do Iguaçu, May 27, 2026

References

ACHESON, Ray. Editorial: Let Us Not Await the Ashes. In: NPT News in Review. Reaching Critical Will, May 23, 2026. Available at: https://www.rayacheson.com/_files/ugd/55730c_233fb3b89fbb416aa866d3124ecbbad3.pdf. Accessed on: May 26, 2026.

INTERNATIONAL CAMPAIGN TO ABOLISH NUCLEAR WEAPONS (ICAN). NPT review conference ends with no plan for disarmament. 2026. Available at: https://www.icanw.org/npt_review_conference_ends_with_no_plan_for_disarmament. Accessed on: May 26, 2026.

REACHING CRITICAL WILL. 2026 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. May 21, 2026. Available at: https://reachingcriticalwill.org/images/documents/Disarmament-fora/npt/revcon2026/documents/CRP4-corrected.pdf. Accessed on: May 26, 2026.