Workshop participants took stock of the outcomes of the preparatory process for the 2020 Review Conference, identified the remaining tasks and discussed the prospects for a successful outcome next year. The crisis in the US-Russian arms control, general lack of progress on nuclear disarmament, unresolved disagreement among NPT states parties on the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), the fate of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (“Iran Deal”) and uncertainty surrounding next steps on the establishment of a Middle East zone free of weapons of mass destruction were identified among the central challenges in this regard. Participants actively debated disarmament issues, such as the need for the United States and Russia to renew the New START treaty and refrain from engaging in a new arms race, the importance of nuclear risk reduction, and approaches to the US initiative on creating an environment for nuclear disarmament.
In light of the upcoming 25th anniversary of the indefinite extension of the NPT, one of the workshop sessions focused in particular on the stability of the NPT regime and the outlook for the next 25 years. The participants noted the shifting great- and regional power dynamics that affect the global non-proliferation context, the implications of a “generational change,” with the youth not as interested in or familiar with nuclear issues, and the corresponding importance of non-proliferation and disarmament education. Throughout the workshop, while recognizing the gravity of challenges facing the NPT regime, the participants reaffirmed both the commitment to the treaty and the need to approach the next review conference with optimism and high level of ambition.
