International Youth Statement at the 2026 NPT Review Conference

Delivered by: Jahrik Browner and Rooj Ali

Mr. President and Distinguished Excellencies,

This Review Conference convenes at a time of significant risk, marked in recent weeks by alarming, inflammatory rhetoric of escalation. The global nuclear non-proliferation regime is strained, and the promise of a world without nuclear weapons remains further from realization than ever. As the generation that will live longest with the consequences of today’s decisions, we can no longer accept continued delays in action. Despite decades of commitments, progress toward disarmament has remained insufficient to meet the urgency of the moment. We, the young people, choose to see this moment as a call to action, an opportunity to strengthen our collective resolve against nuclear weapons and reinvigorate disarmament efforts.

Mr. President and Distinguished Excellencies,

At a time when the Transatlantic Slave Trade has been officially recognized by the UN General Assembly as the Gravest Crime Against Humanity, we find ourselves at a crossroads, equipped with an actionable framework through which reparations and education around the mistakes of the past lay the foundation for justice tomorrow. Historically, we’ve seen Black and brown communities bear the brunt of uranium mining, displacement, and nuclear testing, like that of our brothers and sisters across the sea. We, the youth, stand here today to continue the intergenerational effort to eliminate the persistent threat of nuclear weapons, from the lost uranium miners of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the poisoned Gullah communities along the Savannah River Site, to the Hibakusha survivors from Japan and Korea, and the survivors of nuclear testing spanning the Marshall Islands, Kiribati, New Mexico, and Kazakhstan. It’s in remedy for the crimes of the past that we call on States Parties to support the dismantling of systemic, persistent barriers and make concrete legal and moral commitments toward true progress in global nuclear disarmament.

Distinguished Delegates,

We offer you the following recommendations.

First, we urge all States Parties to reaffirm and fully implement their commitments under the Treaty across its three pillars. Upholding these obligations is fundamental to maintaining the credibility and effectiveness of the global non-proliferation and disarmament system..

Second, we urge States Parties to engage substantively with the framework of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons to advance measurable progress on nuclear disarmament. As a complement to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, the TPNW operationalizes Article VI by providing a concrete pathway from commitment to implementation, bridging the gap between the Treaty’s 1970 disarmament obligations and present-day inaction.

Third, we encourage serious consideration of forward-looking approaches to contemporary nuclear proliferation challenges, particularly those that address regional needs and promote cooperative security frameworks such as nuclear-weapon-free zones (NWFZs). While five zones have been successfully established since the inception of the NPT, progress toward a MENWFZ remains stalled and contested. More than ever, we emphasize the importance of working towards this arrangement, which provides tangible security benefits.

Fourth, we urge States Parties to support the establishment of the International Trust Fund for victim assistance and environmental remediation, which is being spearheaded by Kazakhstan and Kiribati. We find it to be the most concrete and logical mechanism yet proposed to address the living humanitarian legacy of nuclear weapon testing. Significantly, the Fund should accept contributions from all States and entities that are interested in supporting nuclear justice. In this connection, we contend that the NWS, which conducted the tests, bears a responsibility to contribute to this fund, as their programs contaminated Indigenous Peoples and ecosystems near the test sites. Lastly, we encourage the commitment of increased and sustained resources to advance nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament education and awareness-raising initiatives. This will allow the story of who has borne the cost of those nuclear detonations to be taught, ensuring, in particular, that young people in affected communities have access to the processes where decisions about their lives are made with an informed understanding. In doing so, these efforts will also help sustain a pipeline of informed and engaged leaders committed to advancing a world free of nuclear weapons.

Distinguished Delegates,

In closing, allow us to remind you that the Non-Proliferation Treaty remains a living document, carrying the yet-unfulfilled promise of a world without nuclear weapons. But also, that history is unforgiving to those who take the wrong path. As James Baldwin wrote, the obligation of anyone who thinks of himself as responsible is to examine society and fight to change it, no matter what the risk. This is the only way societies change. We stand here today asking to meet this standard and be the decision-makers this world urgently needs today.

Thank you for your time and attention.

Endorsed By:

ABC for Peace (Action and Bridge by Healthcare Workers for Peace)

Association Katawara

BORDERLESS FOUNDATION

International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War's (IPPNW) Medical

Student Movement

Nuclear Age Peace Foundation and its Youth Initiative, Reverse the Trend

PEAC Institute Pause for Peace

Peace Boat US

Soka Gakkai International

Yerdaulet Rakhmatulla, Founder & CEO of JASA and Co-Founder of ASQAQ-

QNFC

Youth Fusion

Youth for the TPNW

Youth Partnership for Peace and Development, Sierra Leone