Ratification of the most important arms control agreements
The graph provides an overview of country ratifications. The ratified international control agreements are presented for all countries, grouped by region, over the period 1950 to 2014. The date of state formation has been taken into account for each country. Years before the formation of a state are presented in grey. Years in which a state has not ratified any of the new arms control agreements (selected here) appear in red. As soon as a state has ratified at least one agreement the colour switches to green. The intensity of this green increases with the number of ratified control treaties. The diagram also shows the date in which the nine arms control agreements were open for signature (broken line) and when they then entered into force (continuous line).
Facts
In seeking to reduce existing arsenals worldwide or prevent arms proliferation, two or more states have again and again through history managed to find common ground on which to establish or declare their commitment —in the form of treaties, conventions and other agreements or jointly founded organizations—to disarmament or arms control. Arms control is a concept that covers monitoring and inspection of the weapon numbers, equipment and troop levels, arms production (including upgrading and development) and the extent of stockpiling and deployment. Confidence-building measures are also a form of arms control. Such measures may include reciprocal checks designed to create transparency and thus thwart an arms race or an escalating conflict.
Even though efforts to achieve disarmament and arms control have from time to time led to important breakthroughs in the course of history, the advance of technology and shifts in the global landscape of political power often happen so quickly that when an arms deal is finally concluded it only reflects yesterday’s realities. But another problem is that even arms control agreements that remain highly relevant, like the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, may never become effective because states are unwilling to ratify and implement.
While efforts to achieve disarmament and arms control have repeatedly produced important breakthroughs, the world is still far from achieving anything like comprehensive disarmament. Developments in technology and shifts in the global political landscape often happen so quickly that many arms agreements reflect yesterday’s realities and only offer a weak regulatory mechanism.
Terms, notes on methodology or reading aids
Countries can ratify / sign or accede to an agreement in international law. An agreement is open to signature after the precise wording of the text has been settled. The date from which an agreement enters into force, i.e. becomes legally binding, depends on the ratification terms, which often specify a minimum number of ratifying states. Ratification means that a state incorporates the legal content of an agreement into its domestic law. Ratification is usually a matter for the national parliament to decide, but in some cases it is put to a referendum. This procedural hurdle means ratification can take a considerable time, and in some cases it will fail. If an international agreement has already become effective, other countries may still join if they accept its terms as a state party. This step is known as accession. From a legal standpoint, accession is equivalent to ratification.
The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (Non-Proliferation Treaty - NPT) is an international Treaty that entered into force in 1970. Its signatory states undertake not to seek possession of nuclear arms and not to pass on any knowledge or technology needed to build nuclear weapons. The states parties are also committed to using any nuclear facilities they may have for peaceful purposes only and to dispense with any existing nuclear weapons.
Three countries that are in possession of nuclear weapons have not ratified the Treaty: India, Israel and Pakistan. North Korea left the NPT in 2003 while India, Israel and Pakistan are tolerated and/or indirectly recognized as nuclear weapons states outside of the Treaty inasmuch as they have still been treated as commercial partners for civil nuclear projects. This state of affairs, along with the reluctance of the major nuclear states to wind down their nuclear arsenals, points to an unresolved potential for conflict under the NPT.
The international Biological Weapons Convention (full title “Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on their Destruction” outlaws the development, production and stockpiling of biological weapons for military use. The agreement—also known as the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC)—was created on the initiative of the UN Member States and opened for signature in 1972. It became effective in 1975 and can be considered a further step towards the elimination of biological weapons—the first having been the Geneva Protocol of 1925 that only banned the use of biological weapons as a method of warfare—forbidding research (with the exception of defensive research, see Module 6), production and stockpiling of these weapons. All the signatory states also undertake to destroy any bioweapon stocks they may possess A drawback of the Convention is that no verification mechanism to insure compliance has been agreed on. Nor has it so far proved possible to incorporate an additional protocol on disclosure requirements and controls into the Convention.
The international Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) prohibits the development, production, stockpiling, transfer and use of chemical weapons. The Convention was adopted in 1992 and became effective in 1997. Every signatory country undertook to declare any stockpiles, ammunition and production facilities they may have and destroy them by the end of 2012. The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in The Hague supervises this process.
In 2003, 150 organizations joined forces and formed the Cluster Munition Coalition (CMC) with the intention to ban cluster munitions following the example of the ban of landmines. A small number of counties took up the call unilaterally and banned the manufacture, stockpiling and use of cluster munitions. In 2008, a text was agreed in Dublin, and the Convention on Cluster Munitions was adopted and opened for signature. 108 countries signed it there and then. It entered into force on 01 August 2010. The European Parliament strongly urged all member countries to sign and ratify the Convention. A little more than half of these countries have implemented the Convention's requirements into national law—amongst them Germany. A number of countries that manufacture cluster munitions, such as the United States, China or Russia have not acceded to the Convention.
The Geneva Conventions are a set of agreements between states which, after undergoing revisions of earlier versions, entered into force in 1950, governing the protection for civilians in times of war and the treatment of combatants. The original four conventions cover the treatment of sick and wounded members of armed forces in the field; wounded, sick and shipwrecked members of armed forces at sea; and prisoners of war and civilians in times of war. Additions to the conventions in recent decades deal with conduct in internal conflicts in a country and the introduction of protective signs for medical services. The Geneva Conventions set out the most important standards of international humanitarian law, even if, in practice, the rules have been repeatedly flouted during wars and conflicts.
The Mine Ban Treaty (the 1997 Convention on the Prohobition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on Their Construction) is an international treaty on the ban of anti-personnel landmines that forbids the use, manufacture, stockpiling and transfer of anti-personnel mines. By late 2011, the Convention had been ratified by 159 countries. These countries made a strong commitment to destroy their stockpiles of mines. Countries that have not acceded to the Convention so far are China, India, Iran, Israel, Pakistan, Russia and the United States, amongst others. Germany ratified the Convention in 1998.
The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) is an international agreement aimed at outlawing all testing of atomic weapons. It has not yet entered into force. Compliance with the treaty is controlled by the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO), established specifically for this task. At the time of writing (YEAR), a large majority of states have ratified the treaty, but key signatures are still missing, including countries in possession of nuclear technology (44 states according to the IAEA).
The UN Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW; in full: Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons Which May Be Deemed to Be Excessively Injurious or to Have Indiscriminate Effects) was adopted in 1980 and entered into force in 1983. The convention consists of six protocols, which every state is asked to ratify. A state must ratify at least two protocols to gain ratification status. The individual protocols cover a ban on, or restriction of, non-detectable fragments, land mines, booby-traps, incendiary weapons, and blinding laser weapons as well as an obligation on all warring parties to assist in the clearance of explosive remnants.
The Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) is designed to regulate the trade in conventional weapons, i.e. their import, export and transfer. This multilateral treaty was formally adopted in 2013 and entered into force on 24 December 2014. As soon as fifty countries have ratified the treaty it will become legally effective. Its core purpose is to set global standards for arms exports, which covers not only large-scale weapons systems but also, importantly, small arms. A state party undertakes not to approve any item of arms export if, at the time a license is granted, there is a reasonable assumption that the weapon in question will be used by its recipients for genocide, crimes against humanity, grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions of 1949, attacks directed against civilian objects or civilians under protection, or other war crimes, as defined in the relevant international treaties signed by the respective party.
Africa: Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad, the Comoros, Congo (Democratic Republic), Côte d‘Ivoire, Djibouti, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
America: Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Columbia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Trinidad and Tobago, United States of America, Uruguay, Venezuela.
Asia: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, China (People’s Republic), East Timor, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, North Korea, Pakistan, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, South Korea, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Vietnam
Oceania: Australia, Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, New Zeeland, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Salomon Islands, Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu
Europe: Albania, Andorra, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Maldives, Malta, Moldavia, Monaco, Montenegro, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Vatican City.
Middle East: Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Georgia, Iraq, Iran, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Palestinian Territory, Occupied, Saudi Arabia, Syria (Arab Republic of), Turkey, United Arab Emirate, Qatar, Yemen.
Data sources:
Cluster Munition Coalition The Cluster Munition Coalition (CMC) is an international civil society movement that campaigns against the use, production, stockpiling and transfer of cluster munitions. The Coalition, active in more than 90 countries around the world, works to change the policy and legislation of governments and organizations and raise public awareness of the inhumane use of cluster munitions.
Cluster Munition Coalition - Treaty Status
CTBTO (Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization) Founded in 1997 and located in Vienna, the CTBTO has set itself the task to make first development and the further development of nuclear weapons more difficult. A global net of sensors serves as surveillance mechanism; furthermore it intends to carry out on-site inspections after the Treaty has actually come into force. The organization can only fulfil its mission completely when the 44 states have ratified Annex 2 of the Treaty; so far, only 41 states have signed and 36 have ratified the Treaty.
CTBTO: Status of Signature und Ratification
International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) The International Campaign to Ban Landmines is a global network that works in more than 90 countries to create a world that is free of anti-personnel landmines. In 1997, the campaign was awarded the Peace Nobel Prize for the enforcement of the Mine Ban Treaty. On the ICBL's website, one can find a list of all countries that have ratified the Mine Ban Treaty.
International Campaign to Ban Landmines - Treaty Status
International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) The ICRC is part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. The Red Cross was founded in 1863 with the aim of providing rapid assistance to people caught up in conflicts, facing armed violence or hit by natural disasters. Its overriding mission is to protect life, health and dignity. The organization remains impartial, neutral and independent in situations of war and violent conflict. The core tasks of the ICRC are to monitor compliance with the Geneva Conventions, organize nursing and care of the wounded, supervise the treatment of prisoners of war, help to bring together families separated by armed conflict, protect the civilian population from violence, and mediate between parties to a conflict. The Committee also coordinates and manages international aid missions. In its role as the supervisory body of the Geneva Conventions, the International Committee is an important source of information and documentation.
ICRC State Parties to the Following International Humanitarian Law and Other Related Treaties
OPCW (Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons) Headquartered in The Hague, the OPCW is an independent institution established in 1997 to implement the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC). The OPCW monitors the activities of the states parties to the convention and assists them in matters of demilitarization, non-proliferation and cooperation and in their efforts to implement the CWC. All the ratifying states undertake to submit an annual report on their progress. Inspections are continuously made at the facilities established to destroy chemical weapons. All other relevant facilities are subject to regular inspection at various intervals, depending on the chemicals in question.
UNODA (United Nations Office of Disarmament Affairs) The United Nations Office of Disarmament Affairs was founded in 1998 with the intention of nuclear disarmament and the limitation of the proliferation of nuclear weapons. Furthermore, the intention was to limit general weapons of mass destruction, such as chemical and biological weapons and to reduce the use of conventional weapons, particularly landmines and small arms and light weapons It also supports the disarmament and reintegration of ex-combatants into civilian life. By means of more dialogue, higher transparency and confidence-building measures, one hopes to achieve these goals.
Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons
UNOG (United Nations Office at Geneva) Based in Geneva, UNOG is the second-largest of the United Nation’s four centres. It is home to the UN Human Rights Council, the UN High Commissioners and the UN Treaty Bodies. In the latter role, the UNOG publishes information on the various agreements, including a table specifying which countries have ratified which protocols of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons, along with updates on the CCW process.
For a detailed summary of arms control agreements, go to the Arms control module.
