Critical Nonproliferation Treaty Review Conference Opens April 27

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Representatives from some 190 governments will convene beginning April 27 for the pivotal 11th Review Conference for the nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) to assess progress toward implementation of the treaty's goals and objectives, view this release for critical resources and analysis before the conference.

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Future of Nonproliferation Treaty on the Line at the 11th Review Conference

Resources and Analysis About the April 27-May 22 Meeting at the UN 

For Immediate Release: April 16, 2026

Media Contacts: Daryl G. Kimball, Executive Director (202-463-8270 x107); Thomas Countryman, Chair of the Board and former Asst. Secretary of State for International Security and Nonproliferation and member of the U.S. NPT delegation in 2022 (via 202-463-8270 x104)

(Washington, D.C.)— Representatives from some 190 governments will convene beginning April 27 for the pivotal 11th nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference to assess progress toward implementation of the treaty's goals and objectives, reaffirm the consensus-based commitments made at the 1995, 2000, and 2010 Review Conferences, and negotiate an action plan to advance the treaty's core goals on nonproliferation, the peaceful use of nuclear technology under international safeguards, and disarmament.

The NPT Review Conference is held every five years. Unfortunately, the last two NPT Review Conferences (2015 and 2022) have failed to produce a consensus outcome document. The 2026 Conference President Du Hong Viet told Arms Control Today that another failure would further weaken the NPT. “We may lose the credibility of the NPT itself,” he warned.

Reaching agreement will be very difficult. The April 27-May 22 meeting will be held amid a multiplying array of challenges to this foundational treaty, which has been signed and ratified by 193 states. For example:

  • In October, U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to violate the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty by resuming nuclear explosive testing “on an equal basis.” And, in February, senior State Department officials accused China of conducting a nuclear test in 2020.
  • In February, the 2010 New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty expired. For the first time since 1972, there are no agreed limits on the size of the Russian and U.S. nuclear arsenals, the world’s largest.
  • The U.S. government has called for multilateral arms control talks, but there are no negotiations between Washington and Moscow or with other nuclear armed states to limit or reduce their arsenals.
  • China continues to increase the diversity and size of its smaller but still deadly nuclear arsenal.
  • In response to concerns about Russian aggression against Ukraine and Europe and faltering U.S. support for European security, France announced that it will increase the size of its nuclear arsenal and increase cooperation with European allies on nuclear deterrence.
  • The U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear sites in June 2025 and their full-scale attack on Iran launched this year has complicated the task of blocking Iran's potential pathways to the bomb and resuming international inspections of Iran’s sensitive nuclear activities, while raising concerns among NPT states-parties about attacks by nuclear-armed states.

“Despite these strong crosswinds, NPT states can and must try to line up together behind the treaty and a set of core action steps to reduce the nuclear danger,” argues Daryl G. Kimball, executive director of the Arms Control Association, who has participated in every NPT Review Conference since 1995.

“Many NPT delegations will press for commitments from the five nuclear-armed states to close the 'disarmament deficit,'” he predicted.  Each of the NPT's nuclear-armed states are in violation of the obligation to engage in ‘negotiations in good faith on effective measures relating to cessation of the nuclear arms race at an early date and to nuclear disarmament’ as required by Article VI of the treaty.

“An outcome document will show to the world, our constituencies, our people, that they can still rely on the NPT for their security, and that they can be confident that governments are still working towards ensuring better security for all through these dialogues and discussions and sticking to the commitments that they have,” Viet told Arms Control Today in a March interview.

For the first time, the U.S. delegation will not be led by a Senate-confirmed ambassador with prior NPT experience. As a result, “effective leadership from the United States is, unfortunately, unlikely going into this Review Conference,” noted Kimball. “This will make it important for other states, particularly non-nuclear ‘middle powers,’ to provide the leadership and solutions necessary to move the NPT conference in the right direction.”

Ahead of this critical NPT Review conference, the Arms Control Association provides the following resources for reporters, journalists, and practitioners:

Additional, in-depth analysis from other leading experts is available in Arms Control Today:

The plenary session of the NPT Review Conference will be broadcast on UN TV.

For the official program of work, schedule, working papers and statements, see the Reaching Critical Will website at: https://reachingcriticalwill.org/disarmament-fora/npt/2026 Nongovernmental organizations will make presentations to the plenary on May 1.

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