United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Friday paid tribute to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) on its fortieth anniversary, saying it has “increased transparency and serves a confidence-building role in regional and international security.” The 1968 treaty, which entered into force on March 5, 1970 after a majority of countries had signed and ratified it, has two primary aims. The first is to stop the spread of nuclear-weapons technology. The second is to halt the building of nuclear arms and eventually complete nuclear disarmament. Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States are all recognized by the NPT as states that possess nuclear weapons, and all five have made commitments to the NPT about their nuclear programs. Those countries are also the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council. China, India, and North Korea also have declared nuclear weapons programs but are not members of the NPT. Israel, which is widely believed to possess a nuclear-weapons arsenal, is also not a member of the NPT. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is responsible for implementing the NPT. The treaty is reviewed every five years, and the next review is being held in two months time at U.N. headquarters in New York City. Ban said he wanted “to underscore the importance of a successful review conference.” Complete nuclear disarmament and cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy are expected to dominate the review. The U.N. chief also welcomed efforts between Russia and the United States on a treaty that would reduce their nuclear arsenals. The two countries combined possess 95 percent of the world's nuclear weapons.
