NPDI Meeting Reaffirms Commitment to the Non-Proliferation Treaty
Ambassador Jose C. Laurel V represents the Philippines in the NPDI Ministerial Meeting on 23 November 2019, in Nagoya.
In a meeting hosted by Japanese Foreign Minister Motegi Toshimitsu and co-chaired by Australian Minister Payne on 23 November 2019, on the margins of the G20 Foreign Ministers Meeting in Nagoya, Ministers and high-level officials of the Non-Proliferation and Disarmament Initiative (NPDI) reiterated the commitment of their countries to the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons Treaty (NPT) and its implementation, through practical and meaningful steps to achieve nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation. NPDI has been working on several tracks to strengthen the NPT regime, with flagship initiatives in transparency. They further affirmed the need to strengthen the review process of the upcoming 2020 Review Conference of the NPT. The RevCon is convened once every five years to review compliance by Nuclear Weapons States and Non-nuclear Weapons States to their obligations in the treaty.
The NPDI is a Ministerial-level grouping within the framework of the NPT, focused on practical steps to carry out the consensus outcomes of the 2010 NPT Review chaired by the Philippines’ then Permanent Representative to the UN in New York, Ambassador Libran Cabactulan. NPDI is composed of 12 Members, with the Philippines joining in 2013 upon the invitation of Japan. Its founding members are Australia, Canada, Chile, Germany, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, Poland, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates. Nigeria is also a member.
The NPT entered into force in 1970 and was extended indefinitely in 1995. It is the cornerstone of the global nuclear non-proliferation regime, designed to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons technology, further the goal of disarmament, and to promote cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy.
