New York (VNA) – A consultation workshop for Latin American and Caribbean member states of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) was held in Panama City, Panama, last week.
Co-organised by Vietnam, the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA), and the European Union (EU), the workshop drew representatives from 25 countries, international organisations, and research institutes across Latin America and the Caribbean.
Presiding over the event, Ambassador Do Hung Viet, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the UN and President-designate of the NPT Review Conference, underlined that amid the current complex global situation, the conference remains one of the central multilateral processes for international peace and security.
The diplomat shared Vietnam’s priorities in its capacity as President-designate, affirming its commitment to chairing the conference in a transparent, balanced, and inclusive manner while fully listening to and reflecting the legitimate concerns and interests of all member states.
He called on countries of Latin America and the Caribbean – the world’s first nuclear-weapon-free zone – to continue making active and responsible contributions to the NPT Review Conference in 2026.
In her opening remarks, Izumi Nakamitsu, UN Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, stressed that international security is facing profound challenges amid rising geopolitical tensions, stalled dialogue among nuclear-weapon states, and the reversal of many past arms control achievements.
She noted that the NPT remains the cornerstone and the only existing mechanism for maintaining the global nuclear order. However, the balance among its three pillars – nuclear disarmament, non-proliferation, and the peaceful use of atomic energy – is being eroded, requiring renewed collective commitment to strengthen and safeguard the treaty’s integrity.
For her part, Izabela Matusz, Ambassador and head of the EU Delegation to Panama, reaffirmed the strong commitment of EU member states to the full implementation of the NPT, calling for enhanced cooperation among countries to improve the effectiveness and transparency of the NPT review process.
Within the framework of the workshop, delegates engaged in substantive exchanges across seven thematic sessions, focusing on key issues of the NPT review process. They expressed concern over current international security challenges and their impact on the conference, while voicing support and expectations that Vietnam will preside over the conference in a balanced and effective manner that addresses the priorities of all states.
Participants also highlighted the concerns and priorities of the Latin America and Caribbean region across all three pillars of the treaty, stressing the comprehensive implementation of the NPT, the consolidation of the Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean (Treaty of Tlatelolco), and the promotion of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) for the sake of international peace and security.
Following previous regional consultations in the Asia-Pacific (Vietnam, October 2025), Africa (Ethiopia, November 2025), and the Middle East and North Africa (Jordan, January 2026), the Panama meeting marked the fourth and final regional one in the consultation series organised by Vietnam in preparation for the conference./.
VNA
