Treaty of Rarotonga establishes the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone
- Date
- 6 August 1985
- Category
- Politics & governance
- Region
- Oceania
- Era
- Contemporary
- Significance
On 6 August 1985, eight member states of the South Pacific Forum signed the Treaty of Rarotonga in the Cook Islands, creating the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone.
The treaty prohibited the manufacture, acquisition, possession, testing, and stationing of nuclear explosive devices within the zone, and banned the dumping of radioactive waste at sea, while leaving each state free to decide on port visits and transit by foreign vessels. Driven by regional opposition to French atmospheric and underground nuclear testing at Moruroa and Fangataufa, the agreement extended the global movement toward nuclear-weapon-free zones that had begun with the 1967 Treaty of Tlatelolco in Latin America. It entered into force on 11 December 1986 following the eighth ratification, and was eventually joined by thirteen Pacific nations including Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, and Papua New Guinea. Three accompanying protocols invited the recognised nuclear powers to respect the zone; the United Kingdom, France, China, and Russia (as successor to the USSR) became parties, while the United States signed in 1996 but did not ratify.
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Empires active in 6 August 1985
- Soviet Union1922 CE – 1991 CE
- British Empire1583 CE – 1997 CE
- Portuguese Empire1415 CE – 1999 CE
- Yugoslavia1918 CE – 1992 CE
Related politics & governance events
- Founding of the South Pacific Forum (Pacific Islands Forum)5-7 August 1971
- Gorbachev's glasnost and perestroika1985–1991 (from 11 March 1985)
- Fall of the Berlin Wall9 November 1989
- Revolutions of 1989 across Eastern Europe1989 (Autumn of Nations)
- German reunification3 October 1990
- Dissolution of the Soviet UnionAugust–December 1991
Further reading
The wider story
A History of the Pacific Islands
The standard accessible overview of Oceania from settlement to the modern era.
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