In 2013, the Centre for Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament (CNND) released its inaugural Nuclear Weapons: The State of Play report on nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament. This report is renowned for its rigour and high impact, providing advocacy tools for civil society and resource materials for the global non-proliferation and disarmament community.

Overwhelmingly the story has been one of paralysis, minimal forward movement and significant backsliding.

This updated report is intended to be a comprehensive assessment of the progress, or lack of it, the world has made over the last five years in nuclear disarmament, non-proliferation, security and peaceful uses, when measured against three sets of benchmarks: the Nuclear Security Summit (NSS) 2010,2012 and 2014 commitments; and

Like its predecessor in 2013 – describing the “state of play” as at December 2012 – the report was written by CNND’s Canberra-based staff and consultants, with strong input on numbers issues, especially, from SIPRI in Stockholm.

Apart from updated figures, this edition has about 30% of new material overall – including substantial new sections, e.g. on missile defence and weapons in space, and expanded treatment of the humanitarian consequences movement and options for treaty-focused civil society campaigning.

Image: Unsplash stock, Sunyu.