Improving the Effectiveness of the Methods of Work
of the NPT Review Process

Working paper presented by the United States of America

to the second session of the Preparatory Committee for the 2010 Review Conference
of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons

Geneva
May 8, 2008

The chairmanships of the Preparatory Committees (PrepComs) traditionally follow a rotation among the political groups, with the Western Group chairing PrepCom I, the Eastern Group (EG) chairing PrepCom II, and the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) chairing PrepCom III.  Historically, the NAM also has presided over the RevCons, with the RevCon president selected during each PrepCom I session.

As a result of this approach, previous RevCons have had presidents from Sweden (1975), Iraq (1980), Egypt (1985), Peru (1990), Sri Lanka (1995), Algeria (2000), and Brazil (2005).  Thus, throughout the history of the Treaty, all RevCon presidents have been Neutral or Non-Aligned states and, since 1980, exclusively from the NAM.

The United States considers that, in keeping with the principle of mutual respect for the equal sovereignty of States, all States Party should have the opportunity to provide the individual who presides over each RevCon.  Such an understanding among States Party would acknowledge the dramatic expansion of the nuclear nonproliferation regime over the decades that the Treaty has been in force.  It also would expand the pool of available candidates for NPT leadership positions, and provide for a more representative mix of presiding officers.

Similarly, we consider that the chairmanships of PrepComs and of Main Committees should rotate among the three political groups, rather than remain static for each political group.  Again, such an understanding would enable all States Party to compete equitably for the various chairmanships.

States Party should continue to follow the pattern agreed, as part of the 2010 review process, for rotating the PrepCom chairs and selecting the RevCon president.  The United States, however, proposes that NPT States Party reach a political understanding at the 2010 RevCon that, beginning with the 2015 review process, the presidency of the RevCon, the chairmanships of the three PrepComs, and the chairmanships of the Main Committees will rotate among the three political groups.  This understanding would be put into place as of the 2012 session of the PrepCom.

To this end, the United States proposes options for effecting such a change for States Party to consider:

1.  Rotate the RevCon presidency among the three political groups, beginning in 2015, with a president from the Eastern Group.  The Western Group would provide the president of the 2020 RevCon, the NAM again would provide the president of the 2025 RevCon, and so forth.  The rotation of PrepCom chairs would not change.

2.  Rotate the three political groups consecutively through the four
meetings in each review cycle (i.e., three PrepComs and one RevCon), in which case the representative of a country from each group would chair a RevCon every third cycle.

The United States prefers Option 1 above, but is open to discussing any approach that would provide every State Party with an equitable opportunity to provide candidates for all NPT leadership positions.  We also believe that States Party should consider how to ensure that the existing system for choosing Main Committee chairs remains fair and representative.

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