Disarmament in Review
30 April – 11 May 2012 in Vienna
The Preparatory Committee (PrepCom) for the 2015 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) held its first session from 30 April to 11 May 2012 at the Vienna International Centre. This meeting was the first of three sessions that will be held prior to the 2015 Review Conference.
The PrepCom, open to all States parties to the Treaty, addressed substantive and procedural issues related to the Treaty and the upcoming Review Conference in 2015. The Chair of the first session was Ambassador Peter Woolcott of Australia.
The purpose of the PrepCom is to prepare for the Review Conference in terms of assessing the implementation of each article of the NPT and facilitating discussion among States with a view to making recommendations to the Review Conference.
The NPT, which entered into force in 1970 and was extended indefinitely in 1995, requires that review conferences be held every five years. The Treaty is regarded as the cornerstone of the global nuclear non-proliferation regime. It was designed to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons technology, to further the goal of nuclear disarmament and general and complete disarmament, and to promote cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy.
