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Pillar 3

Action 49

Cooperate with other States parties or international organizations in the further development of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, with due consideration for the needs of the developing areas of the world.

China

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What has the NWS done so far (prior to the current Review Cycle 2022–2026)?

China has cooperated with other States parties and international organizations to promote the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, with particular attention to developing countries. It has supported the central role of the IAEA in technical cooperation, contributed to the IAEA Technical Cooperation Fund, concluded intergovernmental agreements on peaceful nuclear energy cooperation with more than 30 countries, and provided education and training opportunities for developing countries through nuclear-energy management schools and the China Atomic Energy Scholarship Program.

China has also framed peaceful-use cooperation broadly, covering nuclear power as well as nuclear applications in agriculture, medicine, industry, environmental protection, resources and other development-related fields.

China has expanded its domestic nuclear power sector and has presented Chinese nuclear technology as a contribution to global low-carbon development.

What is the NWS doing on this action in the current Review Cycle 2022–2026?

China has continued to prioritize peaceful-use cooperation with developing areas of the world. At the 2025 NPT Preparatory Committee, China called on States to support IAEA technical cooperation activities, pay Technical Cooperation Fund contributions in full and on time, ensure adequate and predictable technical-cooperation resources, and give preference to developing countries.

China reported that it had contributed more than $120 million to the IAEA Technical Cooperation Fund, supported the China–IAEA Advanced Nuclear Energy Management School for more than 250 professionals from 36 emerging nuclear-power countries, and funded the China Atomic Energy Scholarship Program for 400 students from 46 developing countries. China also highlighted cooperation with the IAEA in nuclear safety, nuclear security, food and agriculture, resources and environment, and the nuclear fuel cycle, and noted that China–IAEA–African Union cooperation on peaceful uses of nuclear technology had been included in the 2024 Forum on China–Africa Cooperation Beijing Summit outcome document.

China has actively supported the IAEA’s “Ray of Hope” initiative, which expands cancer therapy capabilities in Africa using nuclear medicine, by providing various training workshops and scholarships.

Sources

Statement by the Chinese Delegation on Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy at the Third Session of the Preparatory Committee for the 2026 NPT Review Conference, May 6 2025

核医疗点亮“希望之光”——国际原子能机构放射治疗物理师培训班正式开班, Sep 3, 2024

核医疗点亮非洲“希望之光”, May 6, 2023

2024 The Atomic Energy Scholarship Program of China, Feb 23, 2024

China, IAEA to deepen cooperation for Global South’s development, April 10, 2025

Give Full Play to the Role of the NPT in Promoting Peace and Development in the New Era – Working paper submitted by China, Apr 26, 2025

France

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What has the NWS done so far (prior to the current Review Cycle 2022–2026)?

France has signed 24 bilateral agreements for the use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.

Cooperation in the further development of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes has been ongoing in the following sectors. Regarding nuclear energy, France has designed and constructed nuclear reactors, including EPRs in China (2018 and 2019), Finland (2022) and the UK (ongoing). French companies (EDF, Framatome, Orano …) are supplying services along the entire nuclear fuel cycle for around 400 reactors worldwide (providing nuclear fuel, radioactive waste management, maintenance of a secure and sustainable fuel supply, dismantling of plants…). The International Institute of Nuclear Energy is involved in the training of international partners, as well as the National Institute of Nuclear Sciences and Technologies, which has been recognised an IAEA Collaborating Centre since 2016 and trains partners in nuclear power programmes, research programmes and programmes to develop nuclear applications for health. In March 2022, a Centre of Excellence in nuclear security was founded by French companies as part of the IAEA Nuclear Security Support Centre network.

French company EDF has developed the SMR project NUWARD. EDF and the French Nuclear Safety Authority are working with its Finnish, Czech, Netherlands, Polish and Swedish counterparts to work on the authorizations processes for these types of reactors. It brings together training programmes from French companies in nuclear security, notably with a view to operational implementation by nuclear operators of IAEA recommendations. EDF, Orano and INSTN, in cooperation with CEA and ANDRA, also offer tailored training for those starting out in partnership with IAEA. EDF also offers onsite training of technicians who will work at plants.

France takes part in the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) project, alongside the European Union, India, the Russian Federation, China, the Republic of Korea, Japan and the United States. France is also involved in the development of the Jules Horowitz Reactor with the Czech Republic, Spain, Finland, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Sweden, India, Israel, China and the European Commission.

What is the NWS doing on this action in the current Review Cycle 2022–2026?

On 10 March 2026, France hosted the second world Nuclear Energy Summit, in close collaboration with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Heads of State and Government, leaders of international organizations and financial institutions, industrial actors and experts to advance the global deployment of nuclear energy to address major energy and climate challenges. Newcomers in the field of nuclear power from Latin America, Africa and South East Asia attended.

The activities listed above, regarding industrial cooperation, exports, and service providing, research and development, training and certifications, have continued during the current Review Cycle.

Sources

Nuclear energy: report on the expertise of France, Working paper submitted by France, NPT/CONF.2026/PC.II/WP.8, 28 May 2024, https://reachingcriticalwill.org/images/documents/Disarmament-fora/npt/prepcom24/documents/WP8.pdf

Accords France / Etats tiers pour l’utilisation de l’énergie nucléaire à des fins pacifiques (24), 22 May 2019, https://www.cte.gouv.fr/Documents/Liste%20des%20accords%20bilat%C3%A9raux%20France.pdf

World Nuclear Energy Summit (10 March 2026), France Diplomatie, 20 February 2026, https://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/presse-et-ressources/decouvrir-et-informer/actualites/sommet-mondial-sur-l-energie-nucleaire-10-mars-2026

Russia

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What has the NWS done so far (prior to the current Review Cycle 2022–2026)?

Russia exports nuclear fuel, nuclear power reactors, and other nuclear materials and technologies to non-nuclear-weapon states, including developing countries and offers technical assistance, expertise and education on peaceful nuclear energy uses and non-energy applications of nuclear technologies. Russia comprehensively supports and cooperates with the IAEA in promotion of nuclear energy.

Russia supported and participated in the IAEA International Project on Innovative Nuclear Reactors and Fuel Cycles (INPRO) and Generation IV International Forum (GIF)

Russia has cooperated with the Nuclear Energy Agency within the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (NEA OECD), and the CIS Commission for cooperation on peaceful uses for atomic energy.

In 2007 Russia has established the In 2007 Russia has established the International Uranium Enrichment Center and a guaranteed low-enriched uranium reserve in Angarsk that is intended to provide uranium enrichment services for civilian nuclear power programmes and allow participating countries access to nuclear fuel.

In 2019, Russia facilitated supply of first and second batches of low-enriched uranium to the IAEA Low-Enriched Uranium Bank in Kazakhstan.

What is the NWS doing on this action in the current Review Cycle 2022–2026?

Russia continued to actively promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy through its exports of nuclear fuel, nuclear power reactors, and other nuclear materials and technologies to non-nuclear-weapon states, including developing countries.

In its national report to the 2026 NPT Review Conference Russia stated that it is currently building 22 power units abroad with WWER type reactors in China, India, Türkiye and Egypt, Bangladesh, Iran and Hungary. In 2025, a large-scale project was launched to build a nuclear power plant in the Republic of Kazakhstan. A project is under way in Uzbekistan to build a unique energy complex consisting of high- and low-capacity nuclear power plants on a single site. An intergovernmental agreement on the construction of a low-capacity nuclear power plant in Myanmar has also been signed.

In 2024 Russia established a BRICS Nuclear Energy Platform designed to develop partnerships with key companies of members of BRICS in the nuclear industry. Russia is working on developing a BRICS nuclear medicine cooperation platform.

In 2025 Russia signed a memorandum of understanding on peaceful nuclear cooperation with ASEAN Centre For Energy

Sources

National report of the Russian Federation for the 2015 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (New York), 21 May 2015.

https://www.un.org/en/conf/npt/2015/pdf/NPT-CONF2015-48_National%20report%20of%20the%20Russian%20Fed_E.pdf

National report of the Russian Federation, 2026 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (New York), 2 March 2026.

https://docs.un.org/en/NPT/CONF.2026/14

National report of the Russian Federation, 2020 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (New York), 19 March 2021.

https://docs.un.org/en/NPT/CONF.2020/17/Rev.1

Statement by the Russian Federation. Cluster III: Peaceful uses of nuclear energy. 2023 Preparatory Committee for the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (Vienna), 8 August 2023

https://docs-library.unoda.org/Treaty_on_the_Non-Proliferation_of_Nuclear_Weapons_-Preparatory_Committee_for_the_Eleventh_Review_ConferenceFirst_session_(2023)/Russia_NEW_Cluster_III_Russia.pdf

Statement by the Russian Federation. Cluster III: Peaceful uses of nuclear energy. 2024 Preparatory Committee for the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (Geneva), 29 July 2024

https://docs-library.unoda.org/Treaty_on_the_Non-Proliferation_of_Nuclear_Weapons_-Preparatory_Committee_for_the_Eleventh_Review_ConferenceSecond_session_(2024)/Russia_-_Cluster_III_-_ENG.pdf

Statement by the Russian Federation. Cluster III: Peaceful uses of nuclear energy. 2025 Preparatory Committee for the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (New York), 6 May 2025.

https://docs-library.unoda.org/Treaty_on_the_Non-Proliferation_of_Nuclear_Weapons_-Preparatory_Committee_for_the_Eleventh_Review_Conference_(2025)/Russia_-_Cluster_3_Eng.pdf

United Kingdom

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What has the NWS done so far (prior to the current Review Cycle 2022–2026)?

The UK committed to ensuring that other countries benefit from the UK’s expertise and experience through full participation in bilateral and multilateral fora, including through the IAEA’s Technical Cooperation Programme and the Peaceful Uses Initiative. The UK plays an active role in multilateral organisations including the International Framework for Nuclear Energy Cooperation, the Nuclear Innovation: Clean Energy Future initiative, the Nuclear Energy Agency and the IAEA. The UK’s National Nuclear Laboratory and the Institute for Global Food Security were both designated as IAEA Collaborating Centres in 2020.

What is the NWS doing on this action in the current Review Cycle 2022–2026?

The United Kingdom has promoted cooperation with and between NPT member states to increase access to peaceful uses of nuclear technologies, including through the Sustained Dialogue on Peaceful Uses launched with the US in 2022 (SDPU), the Sapporo 5 to expand civil nuclear capabilities and reduce dependency on Russian nuclear fuel supply, the Nuclear Energy Association, and the Global Tripling Nuclear Pledge. The UK has reaffirmed the right of States parties to participate in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy in accordance with Article IV of the Treaty.

At the first NPT Preparatory Committee in August 2023, the UK stated its commitment to expanding access to the benefits of peaceful uses, enabling more countries to benefit from nuclear technologies, particularly those that contribute to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The Sustained Dialogue on Peaceful Uses partnered with the Water Authority of Jordan, the Ministry of Health of Ghana and stakeholders in the Philippines, holding events in Amman and Accra.

At the second NPT Preparatory Committee in August 2024, the UK confirmed that the Sustained Dialogue promotes international cooperation and aims to widen participation in peaceful uses of nuclear technology for development purposes, bringing together policy makers, the development community, scientific experts, the private sector and the IAEA. In its first two years, the Sustained Dialogue focused on advancing water security in the Middle East and North Africa, improving outcomes for cancer patients in West Africa, and tackling food insecurity in Latin America, the Caribbean, Southeast Asia and the Pacific.

At the G7 Leaders’ meeting at COP28 in December 2023, the UK joined other G7 nations in supporting a global aspirational goal of tripling nuclear energy capacity from 2020 by 2050, recognising nuclear energy’s potential to provide affordable low-carbon energy that can reduce dependence on fossil fuels and ensure global energy security.

Sources

Foreign and Commonwealth Office (2022). National report of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland pursuant to actions 5, 20 and 21 of the action plan of the 2010 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons for the tenth Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty (London), 5 November. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/treaty-on-the-non-proliferation-of-nuclear-weapons-uk-national-report-for-the-10th-review-conference/uk-national-report-pursuant-to-actions-5-20-and-21-of-the-treaty-on-the-npt-review-conference-2010-for-the-10th-npt-review-conference

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (2026). National report of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland pursuant to actions 5, 20 and 21 of the action plan of the 2010 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons for the eleventh Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty. <https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/69df600a53469bbcdf408e8b/UK-National-Report-11th-Treaty-on-the-Non-Proliferation-of-Nuclear-Weapons-NPT-Review-Conference.pdf>

Department for Energy Security & Net Zero (2023). Civil nuclear fuel cooperation between Canada, France, Japan, United Kingdom and United States: statement, December 8. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nuclear-fuel-supply-multilateral-alliance-between-uk-and-international-partners/civil-nuclear-fuel-cooperation-between-canada-france-japan-united-kingdom-and-united-states-statement

Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (2023). First Preparatory Committee for the 2026 Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference: UK statement on Cluster 3 issues. 11 August. https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/first-preparatory-committee-for-the-2026-non-proliferation-treaty-review-conference-uk-statement-on-cluster-3-issues.

Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (2024). Second Preparatory Committee for the 2026 Review Conference to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons: UK statement on Pillar 3. 22 August. https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/second-preparatory-committee-for-the-2026-review-conference-to-the-treaty-on-the-non-proliferation-of-nuclear-weapons-uk-statement-on-pillar-3

Prime Minister’s Office (2023). G7 Leaders’ Statement: 6 December 2023. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/g7-leaders-statement-6-december-2023

United States

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What has the NWS done so far (prior to the current Review Cycle 2022–2026)?

Between the 2010 and 2020 NPT Review Conferences, under the auspices of the Peaceful Uses Initiative (PUI) the United States made several notable financial and diplomatic contributions to expand access to peaceful uses of nuclear energy to States parties. Several of these contributions were specifically aimed to address the needs of non-nuclear weapon states and developing countries, including:

      • The establishment of the American Assured Fuel Supply to function as a backup fuel supply for U.S. domestic or international partners;
      • The contribution of nearly $50 million to the establishment and operationalization in 2019 of the IAEA’s Low Enriched Uranium Bank;
      • The reallocation of €10 million to activities under the Programme of Action for Cancer Therapy and technical cooperation projects managed by the African Regional Cooperative Agreement for Research, Development, and Training related to Nuclear Science and Technology and the Regional Cooperation Agreement for the Promotion of Nuclear Science and Technology in Latin America and the Caribbean;
      • The signing of five Nuclear Cooperation Memoranda of Understanding with Bulgaria, Ghana, Poland, Romania, and Slovenia to boost nuclear cooperation and support between the United States’ and these countries’ nuclear sectors.
      • The collaboration between the U.S. Department of Energy and their counterparts in more than 100 countries––including many low- and medium-income countries––to promote regulation, oversight, and accessibility of peaceful uses projects.

What is the NWS doing on this action in the current Review Cycle 2022–2026?

At the NPT Review Conference in 2022, the United States, in partnership with the United Kingdom and with the political support of 29 other countries, launched the Sustained Dialogue on Peaceful Uses (SDPU). The SPDU is particularly focused on how the peaceful uses of nuclear energy can help further progress on the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals, particularly for those who are economically and socially vulnerable. The scope of the SPDU was shaped by subject matter experts and practitioners from the Global South and has spawned projects supporting water security in the MENA region; access to nuclear medicine in West Africa; sustainable financing to improve women’s health outcomes; food security in the context of climate change; and several others.

Under the auspices of the IAEA’s Technical Cooperation Program, the United States has provided more than $20 million in voluntary contributions to the IAEA’s Rays of Hope initiative, which aims to provide cancer care to regions that lack sufficient funding or facilities for radiation treatment. The United States has also supported the IAEA’s flagship Nuclear Technology for Controlling Plastic Pollution initiative using irradiation to develop new recycling techniques, as well as Atoms4Food, which supports food security efforts through nuclear science.

In addition, in 2020 the United States announced that it would contribute another $50 million in voluntary contributions to the IAEA through 2024, to support the IAEA’s Peaceful Uses Initiative (PUI), bringing the total US contribution to the PUI to more than $117 million. As of June 2026, the second Trump administration had not made an announcement indicating a significant financial contribution to the PUI.

Sources

United States of America. “Actions 5, 20 and 21 of the Action Plan of the 2010 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons: Report Submitted by the United States of America.” NPT/CONF.2020/47. Tenth Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, United Nations, New York, August 1–26, 2022. https://docs.un.org/en/NPT/CONF.2020/47.

Albania, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Ghana, Hungary, Iceland, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, North Macedonia, Norway, Paraguay, Romania, Republic of Korea, Senegal, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Türkiye, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, and United States. “Facilitating Dialogue to Support Enhanced Peaceful Uses Cooperation as Envisioned under Article IV of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.” Working Paper NPT/CONF.2020/WP.46/Rev.2. Tenth Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. United Nations, 2022. https://docs.un.org/en/NPT/CONF.2020/WP.46/Rev.2.

U.S. Department of State. “Year One: Building a Sustained Dialogue on Peaceful Uses for the NPT and a Brighter Future.” Accessed October 24, 2025. https://2021-2025.state.gov/year-one-building-a-sustained-dialogue-on-peaceful-uses-for-the-npt-and-a-brighter-future/.

U.S. Department of State. “The United States Contributes Up to $4 Million in Funding to the International Atomic Energy Agency to Support the Rays of Hope Initiative.” December 14, 2022. https://2021-2025.state.gov/the-united-states-contributes-up-to-4-million-in-funding-to-the-international-atomic-energy-agency-to-support-the-rays-of-hope-initiative/.

International Atomic Energy Agency. Technical Cooperation Report for 2024. GC(69)/INF/6. 69th Regular Session of the General Conference. Vienna: IAEA, 2025. https://www.iaea.org/sites/default/files/gc/gc69-inf6.pdf.

U.S. Mission to International Organizations in Geneva. “United States announces $50 million commitment to IAEA’s Peaceful Uses Initiative.” November 10, 2020. https://vienna.usmission.gov/press-release-united-states-announces-50-million-commitment-to-iaeas-peaceful-uses-initiative/.