Nuclear
Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT)
What is it?
The Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty, signed in 1970,
wanted to limit the number of nuclear states to five, the number existing at
the time the treaty drafted. It does
support the use of nuclear power for peaceful purposes.
Verification
The NPT was
the first treaty to start using IAEA safeguards for verification. Article III of the treaty required all
member states to negotiate agreements with the IAEA and prohibited them from exporting
fissionable material for peaceful purposes unless the material was under the
safeguards.1
Note
The NPT and
its use of IAEA safeguards led to nuclear weapon-free zones that made use of
the same principles and verification methods: The
Treaty of Tlatelolco, The Treaty of Rarotonga,
The Treaty of Pelindaba, and The
Treaty of Bangkok.
1Full Text of the Treaty
from the UN website (pdf format)
Information
About the Treaty from the IAEA website
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