Treaty of Rarotonga
21°13′42.8″S 159°46′35.5″W / 21.228556°S 159.776528°W
| South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone Treaty | |
|---|---|
Signed and ratified Treaty of Rarotonga | |
| Type | Nuclear disarmament |
| Signed | 6 August 1985 |
| Location | Rarotonga, Cook Islands |
| Effective | 11 December 1986 |
| Parties | 13 |
| This article is part of a series about |
| Non-proliferation, disarmament, & arms control |
|---|
| Overview |
| Nuclear weapons |
| Chemical weapons |
| Biological weapons |
| Conventional weapons |
| Control & monitoring |
| Nuclear technology portal |
The Treaty of Rarotonga is the common name for the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone Treaty, which formalises a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the South Pacific. The treaty bans the use, testing, and possession of nuclear weapons within the borders of the zone.
It was signed by the South Pacific nations of Australia, the Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, New Zealand, Niue, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu on the island of Rarotonga (where the capital of the Cook Islands is located) on 6 August 1985, came into force on 11 December 1986 with the 8th ratification, and has since been ratified by all of those states.
The Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, and Palau are outside the original geographic scope of the treaty but are eligible to become parties, in which case that scope would be expanded. The Marshall Islands acceded to the treaty on March 1, 2025.