King's College London

Researchers at the Centre for Science and Security Studies (CSSS) at King’s College London, in partnership with the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies, have published a new edition of the Non-Proliferation Treaty Briefing Book - a resource widely used by national delegations during the month-long negotiations at the United Nations in New York.

The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) aims to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons technology, promote co-operation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy and further the goal of achieving nuclear disarmament and general and complete disarmament.

It is reviewed every five years and the Tenth Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons will be held from 4 to 28 January 2022.

The NPT Briefing Book was first published in 1990 by Professor John Simpson and Ben Saunders under the auspices of the Mountbatten Centre for International Studies at the University of Southampton. In 2012, the Briefing Book found a new home in CSSS and is produced in partnership with the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies.

'Diplomats often refer to the NPT Briefing Book as the "NPT review process bible". It has become an indispensable tool for their work,' explains Dr. William C. Potter, Professor of Nonproliferation Studies at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies and Director of the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies. 

Dr Hassan Elbahtimy, editor of the new edition and Co-director of CSSS, says: ‘Despite the disruption caused by Covid-19, there has been a lot of activity in multilateral nuclear diplomacy in anticipation of the Tenth review conference.'

He adds: 'This new edition provides a detailed snapshot of these activities and key nuclear developments since the last edition was produced in 2019. The publication is intended to engage seasoned followers of the NPT review process as well as newcomers to the topic.’

The first part of the Non-Proliferation Treaty Briefing Book contains an introduction to nuclear weapons and nuclear energy as well as a brief history of the NPT and significant milestones in the NPT Review Process.

The second part includes the texts of relevant documentation related to the treaty review process including updates on the United Nations, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Conference on Disarmament and other multilateral arms control machinery as well as international developments relevant to the Non-Proliferation Treaty review process.

The new 2022 edition of the NPT Briefing Book as well as earlier editions can be found here.