Treaty of Rarotonga

About Treaty of Rarotonga

• The Treaty of Rarotonga is an international agreement that establishes the South Pacific as a nuclear-weapon-free zone.
  • It is formally known as the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone Treaty (SPNFZ).
  • It is considered an improvement upon the Tlatelolco Treaty.
  • Note: The Tlatelolco Treaty prohibits Latin American states from acquiring, possessing, developing, testing or using nuclear weapons, and prohibits other countries from storing and deploying nuclear weapons on their territories.
• Aim: It aims at preventing the dumping of nuclear wastes and banning nuclear explosions even for peaceful purposes.
• Entered into force: It was signed in Rarotonga (Cook Islands) on 6 August 1985, and entered into force on 11 December 1986.
• Members: It has 14 Parties: Australia, Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, New Zealand, Marshall Islands, Niue, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, and Western Samoa. 
• Obligation under the treaty: Under the Rarotonga Treaty, parties undertake:
  • Not to acquire nuclear weapons, or assist any other country to acquire them
  • Not to permit the stationing of nuclear weapons on their territory
  • Not to permit the testing of nuclear explosive devices on their territory and not to assist any other country to test nuclear explosive devices
  • To apply strict non-proliferation measures to all exports of nuclear materials to ensure exclusively peaceful, non-explosive use
  • Not to dump radioactive waste at sea within the zone
  • Not to assist anyone in dumping such waste at sea, and to support the conclusion of a regional convention which would preclude dumping at sea by anyone in the
    region.
• Compliance: Its compliance is verified through the enforcement of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards agreements.