The workshop was chaired by Vietnam and co-organised with the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) and the European Union, with the participation of representatives from 25 countries, international organisations and research institutes from Latin America and the Caribbean.

Following 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 workshop was the fourth and final meeting in a series of regional consultations organised by Vietnam in preparation for the 2026 NPT Review Conference.

In her opening remarks, Izumi Nakamitsu, Under-Secretary-General and High Representative of the United Nations for Disarmament Affairs, said international security is currently facing profound challenges as geopolitical tensions rise, dialogue among nuclear-armed states stalls, and many past achievements in arms control are being reversed.

She noted that the NPT is the central pillar and the only surviving mechanism for maintaining the global nuclear order. However, the balance among the treaty’s three pillars -disarmament, non-proliferation and the peaceful use of nuclear energy- is being eroded, requiring renewed collective commitment to strengthen and safeguard the integrity of the treaty.

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 and called on countries to continue strengthening cooperation to enhance the effectiveness and transparency of the NPT review process.

Chairing the workshop, Ambassador Do Hung Viet, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the United Nations and President-designate of the NPT Review Conference, said that amid the current complex global situation, the NPT review process is one of the most central multilateral frameworks for international peace and security.

He outlined Vietnam’s priorities in its role as president, affirming its commitment to conducting the conference in a transparent, balanced and inclusive manner, listening to and fully reflecting the legitimate concerns and interests of all member states. He also called on Latin American and Caribbean countries, the world’s first nuclear-weapon-free zone, to continue making active and responsible contributions to the 2026 Review Conference.

During the workshop, delegates engaged in substantive exchanges across seven thematic discussion sessions focusing on core issues of the NPT review process. Participants expressed concern over the challenges posed by the current international security environment and their impact on the conference, while voicing support for and expectations that Vietnam would steer the process in a balanced and effective manner that responds to the priorities of all countries.

Delegates also highlighted regional concerns and priorities across all three pillars of the treaty, while  underscoring the need for the comprehensive implementation of the NPT, the strengthening of the Treaty of Tlatelolco, and efforts to promote  the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) in support of international peace and security.

Vietnam chairs UN consultation on Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty

VOV.VN - Ambassador Do Hung Viet, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the UN, on October 6 chaired the first informal consultation with State Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), in his capacity as the designated President of the 11th NPT Review Conference, scheduled for April 2026.

Vietnam affirms commitment to nuclear non-proliferation efforts

Ambassador Vu Le Thai Hoang, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the United Nations and other international organisations in Vienna, has underscored Vietnam’s commitment to advancing multilateralism, building consensus, and ensuring a balanced approach to the three pillars of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).