Nuclear-weapon-free zones in the 21st century

With the extension of Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and the Negotiations of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty much international attention has been devoted to multilateral non-proliferation and disarmament process. Universality has been and remains one of the essential aims of these efforts, although it has become increasingly apparent that regional factors of insecurity can be significant obstacles to non-proliferation and disarmament. Jointly with Organization for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean (OPANAL) and the Government of Mexico, UNIDIR convened an international seminar on 'Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zones in the Next Century' in Mexico City from 13-14 February 1997, the 30th anniversary of the Treaty of Tlatelolco. The discussions covering the following main topics: the role of the Treaty of Tlatelolco; other Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zones and Future Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zones. Generally, there exists a clear complementarity between global non-proliferation and disarmament efforts striving for universality and the establishment of Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zones on a regional scale