Organization for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean

After the Cuban Missile Crisis in October 1962, Brazil, Bolivia, Ecuador and Chile submitted a proposal to the 17th session of the United Nations General Assembly on the establishment of a nuclear-weapon-free zone in Latin America. On April 29, 1963, the heads of state of the four countries and the President of Mexico issued a statement in their respective capitals, calling on Latin American countries to conclude multilateral agreements to make Latin America a nuclear-weapon-free zone as soon as possible. In the same year, the 18th session of the UN General Assembly adopted a proposal by 11 countries, including the above five countries, on the establishment of a nuclear-weapon-free zone in Latin America. In November 1964, seventeen Latin American countries decided to establish the Preparatory Committee for the Denuclearization of Latin America. On 14 February 1967, Panama, Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Colombia, Costa Rica, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, Venezuela, Uruguay and Chile signed, at Mexico City, the Convention on the United Nations. Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America The Treaty of Tlatelolco. The treaty entered into force on 25 April 1969. In order to ensure the fulfilment of the obligations of the Treaty, States Parties are established under the provisions of the Treaty upon its entry into force Organization for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America . In 1985, the ninth Regular session of the Organization decided to use the name "Organization for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean" (" Latin American Organization for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons ") in official documents, with its headquarters in Mexico City, Mexico. Mexico is a treaty state. ^[1]

The treaty stipulates that the nuclear materials and facilities of the parties can only be used for peaceful purposes; Prohibition of the testing, use, manufacture, production or acquisition of nuclear weapons in any form in their respective territories; The acceptance, stockpiling, installation, deployment or possession of nuclear weapons in any form in their respective territories is prohibited. There are two additional protocols to the Treaty: Additional Protocol I requires States with territories or dependencies in Latin America and the Caribbean to assume the relevant obligations under the Treaty. Additional Protocol II requires the nuclear-weapon States of the world to fully respect the Treaty and not to use or threaten to use nuclear weapons against Latin American and Caribbean States. ^{[1] [3-4]}

1. General Assembly: The highest authority. It is composed of all States Parties and meets every two years. The Council may convene extraordinary general meetings as it deems necessary.

(2) The Council shall consist of five members elected by the General Assembly for a term of four years.

(3) Secretariat: permanent office under the leadership of the General Assembly and the Council. The Secretary-General is elected by the General Assembly for a four-year term, renewable once. ^[5]

Member States (33) : Barbados , Bahamas , Paraguay , Panama , Cuba , Peru , Bolivia , Dominican Republic , Ecuador , Colombia , Costa Rica , Grenada , Haiti , Honduras , Mexico , Nicaragua , El Salvador , Suriname , Trinidad and Tobago , Guatemala , Venezuela , Uruguay , Jamaica , Brazil , Chile , Argentina , Antigua and Barbuda , Belize , Guyana , Dominic , Saint Kitts and Nevis , Saint Vincent and the Grenadines , Saint Lucia .

Observer States (6) : China , Britain , America , Russia , France and Netherlands . ^[1]

Publications include OPANAL Documentos, occasional, in Spanish. ^[4]

By the end of August 1992, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, the United States and France, which are related to Additional Protocol I, had signed and ratified the Protocol.

By January 1979, China, the United Kingdom, the United States, France, and the Soviet Union (now Russia) had all signed and ratified Additional Protocol II.

The World Conference on Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zones was held in Mexico City from 26 to 28 April 2005, with the Latin American and Caribbean Nuclear-weapon-free Zone represented by OPDC. The Meeting was also attended by Rarotonga, the Parties to the Treaty of Bangkok, the Treaty of Pelindaba and Mongolia, representing the South Pacific, South-East Asia, Africa and Mongolia nuclear-weapon-free zones. The parties discussed such topics as strengthening the construction of nuclear-weapon-free zones, strengthening mutual cooperation and promoting global non-proliferation and nuclear disarmament.

On November 8, 2005, the 19th Regular session of the Latin American Organization for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons was held in Santiago, the capital of Chile, and the Santiago Declaration was issued at the meeting.

On November 22, 2007, the 20th regular session of the Latin American Organization for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons was held in Mexico City, Mexico.

On November 26, 2009, the 21st Regular session of the Latin American Organization for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons was held in Mexico City, Mexico.

The Declaration of 33 Latin American and Caribbean States on the Establishment of a Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone was submitted to the United Nations on 11 October 2011.

On 17 November 2011, the Latin American Organization for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons held its 22nd regular session in Mexico City.

On 14 February 2012, the Latin American Organization for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons held an event in Mexico City to commemorate the 45th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Tlatelolco.

On August 22, 2013, the Organization for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America held its 23rd regular session in Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina, and adopted the Strategic Agenda of the Organization, namely: to obtain the commitment of all nuclear-armed states in the world not to use nuclear weapons against the countries in the Latin American nuclear-weapon-free zone; Actively promote the complete prohibition of nuclear weapons through negotiation and legal means in multilateral fora; We will strengthen publicity for nuclear prohibition and non-proliferation.

On February 14, 2014, the Latin American Organization for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons held an event in Mexico City to commemorate the 47th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Tlatelolco.

On November 26, 2015, the Latin American Organization for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons held its 24th regular session in Mexico City, urging relevant countries to fulfill their legal obligations and deciding to further strengthen cooperation with the United Nations, the International Atomic Energy Agency, the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States and other international and regional organizations.

On February 14, 2016, the Latin American Organization for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons held an event in Mexico City to commemorate the 49th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Tlatelolco.

On February 14, 2017, the Latin American Organization for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons held a conference in Mexico City to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Tlatelolco. The meeting was chaired by the Chairman of the Treaty Organization, Mexican Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray, and attended by the foreign ministers or Deputy Foreign Ministers of the 33 States Parties, the five nuclear Powers (China, the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France) and representatives of relevant international organizations. Mexican President Enrique Pena addressed the meeting.

On February 14, 2018, the Latin American Organization for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons issued a statement commemorating the 51st anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Tlatelolco.

In May 2018, the Latin American Organization for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons held a ceremony to celebrate the inclusion of the Treaty of Tlatelolco on the UNESCO Memory of the World Register.

On 14 February 2019, the Latin American Organization for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons issued a statement commemorating the 52nd anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Tlatelolco and the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Latin American Organization for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.

On November 7, 2019, the Latin American Organization for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons held its 26th regular session in Mexico City.

On 14 February 2020, the Latin American Organization for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons issued a statement commemorating the 53rd anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Tlatelolco.

On February 15, 2021, the Latin American Organization for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons issued a statement commemorating the 54th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Tlatelolco.

On September 30, 2021, the Latin American Organization for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons held its 27th regular session in Mexico City.

On February 14, 2022, the Latin American Organization for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons held a ceremony to commemorate the 55th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Tlatelolco, with the participation of representatives of the member States of the Organization and the States members of the Additional Protocol to the Treaty of Tlatelolco (China, the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, the Netherlands) and relevant international organizations.

On November 17, 2022, the Latin American Organization for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons held a special session of its 27th regular session in Mexico City.

On 3 November 2023, the Latin American Organization for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons held its 28th regular session in Guatemala City. ^[5]

On November 24, 1972, Foreign Minister Ji Pengfei stated that the Chinese Government respects and supports the just proposition of a nuclear-weapon-free zone in Latin America and agrees to the basic contents of Additional Protocol II to the Latin American Nuclear Ban Treaty. On August 21, 1973, the Chinese Government signed the Protocol. From 1975 to 2001, China sent observers to all the annual meetings of the Organization, except in certain cases.

In May 1983, during the eighth Regular session of the Organization held in Kingston, Jamaica, the representative of China reiterated that China would never use or threaten to use nuclear weapons against Latin American countries or nuclear-weapon-free areas, nor would China test, manufacture, produce, stockpile, install or deploy nuclear weapons in Latin American countries or regions. Or pass their own nuclear-armed delivery vehicles through the territory, airspace and territorial waters of Latin American countries.

At the 14th Regular session, Zhu Xiangzhong, Chinese Ambassador to Chile, attended the meeting and made a speech, elaborating my position and proposition on nuclear disarmament, unconditional non-use or threat of use of nuclear weapons against non-nuclear-weapon States and nuclear-weapon-free zones, and extension of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

In November 2003, Chinese Ambassador to Cuba Wang Zhiquan, on behalf of the Chinese government, attended the 18th regular session of the Organization as an observer and reaffirmed China's commitment not to use or threaten to use nuclear weapons.

In February 2012, the Chinese Embassy in Mexico sent representatives to attend the commemoration of the 45th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Tlatelolco organized by the Latin American Organization for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Mexico City.

In February 2017, the Director-General of the Department of Arms Control of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs led a Chinese observer delegation to attend the Conference commemorating the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Tlatelolco of the Latin American Organization for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons and spoke at the stage of the general debate.

In November 2019, the Chinese Embassy in Mexico sent representatives to attend the 26th Regular session of the Latin American Organization for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.

In September 2021, a representative of the Chinese Embassy in Mexico attended and delivered a speech at the 27th Regular session of the Latin American Organization for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.

In November 2022, a representative of the Chinese Embassy in Mexico attended and delivered a speech at the special session of the 27th Regular session of the Latin American Organization for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.

In November 2023, a representative of the Chinese Embassy in Mexico attended and delivered a speech at the 28th Regular session of the Latin American Organization for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.

Two secretaries-general of the Organization, Grauls and Corvo, visited China in 1975 and 1983, respectively. ^[6]

The current Secretary General is Flavio Roberto Bonzanini (Brazilian), who will serve until 31 December 2025. ^{[1-2] [4]}