01 April 2000

Fact Sheet: Article IV of the NPT
U.S. Support for Peaceful Nuclear Cooperation
[Bureau of Nonproliferation, U.S. Department of State]

The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) is the cornerstone of the global nuclear non-proliferation regime.  With 187 parties, the Treaty has the widest adherence of any arms control agreement in history. this broad support illustrates the importance of non-proliferation to the world community as a crucial element of international security.  The 1995 NPT Review Conference extended the Treaty indefinitely, and the United States continues to encourage universal adherence to it.

Article IV of the NPT Affirms that all states party to the Treaty in good standing have a right to benefit from the peaceful uses of the atom.  It further commits the parties to cooperate with one another in the "fullest possible exchange" of nuclear equipment, materials, and information for peaceful purposes.  The United States takes this commitment very seriously and has strongly supported peaceful nuclear cooperation both through international organizations and bilaterally.

The United States channels considerable support for peaceful nuclear cooperation through the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).  The United States is the single largest donor to the IAEA's Technical Cooperation Program and strongly supports IAEA technical cooperation programs in fields such as agriculture, water resources, human health, physical and chemical sciences, and environmental and industrial technology.

Since the 1995 NPT Review Conference, the United States has steadily increased its support for the IAEA's Technical Cooperation Program, providing approximately $100 million or about one-third of the funding for this Program.  During this period, the Program allotted more than $250 million to fund approximately 2,000 national, regional, and inter-regional projects in approximately 100 developing countries.  During this same period, the IAEA's Research Contracts Program provided approximately $40 million for research contracts in IAEA member states.  The United States and other donors also provided nearly $30 million for the management and administration of these projects and contracts.

At the same time, the United States sustains peaceful nuclear cooperation pursuant to its 27 bilateral agreements for peaceful cooperation covering over 40 countries as well as cooperation through so-called "Sister Laboratory" arrangements with nine NPT parties.  Clearly, the United States is fulfilling its obligations under Article IV of the NPT in many ways around the world.

(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)