Diplomats often refer to the NPT Briefing Book as the 'NPT review process bible'. It has become an indispensable tool for their work.”
Dr William C. Potter, Professor of Nonproliferation Studies at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies and Founding Director of the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies
24 April 2026
New publication contributes to review of global nuclear non-proliferation treaty
This reference guide is published ahead of this year’s review of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons to be held at the United Nations in New York.
A new edition of the Non-Proliferation Treaty Briefing Book – a resource widely used by national delegations during the month-long negotiations at the United Nations in New York – has been published by King’s College London, in partnership with the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies.
The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) aims to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons technology, promote co-operation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy and further the goal of achieving nuclear disarmament and general and complete disarmament.
The Treaty is reviewed every five years and the 2026 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons will be held from 27 April to 22 May 2026.
Dr Hassan Elbahtimy, Senior Lecturer in the Department of War Studies and editor of the new edition of the NPT Briefing Book, says: "With bilateral arms control unravelling and geopolitical tensions at a boiling point, the NPT Review Conference meets in a challenging environment where multilateralism is increasingly on the back foot."
This new edition of the Briefing Book captures key developments in nuclear politics while charting the long history of the review process. It is designed to provide both seasoned diplomats and newcomers with the essential documents and factual context needed to navigate these critical negotiations in New York.”
Dr Hassan Elbahtimy, Senior Lecturer in the Department of War Studies
The first part of the Non-Proliferation Treaty Briefing Book contains an introduction to nuclear weapons and nuclear energy as well as a brief history of the NPT and significant milestones in the NPT Review Process.
The second part includes the texts of relevant documentation related to the treaty review process including updates on the United Nations, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Conference on Disarmament and other multilateral arms control machinery as well as international developments relevant to the Non-Proliferation Treaty review process.
The NPT Briefing Book was first published in 1990 by Professor John Simpson and Ben Sanders under the auspices of the Mountbatten Centre for International Studies at the University of Southampton. In 2012, the Briefing Book found a new home in King’s College London and is produced in partnership with the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies.
The new 2026 edition of the NPT Briefing Book as well as earlier editions can be accessed here.
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