Middle East Treaty Organization

The Middle East Treaty Organization (METO) is a non-governmental organization founded in 2017 by a coalition of civil-society activists and disarmament practitioners, with the aim to rid the Middle East of all weapons of mass destruction (WMD).^[1] This proposal is in line with the 1970s proposal for a Middle East nuclear weapon free zone, albeit with broader scope following the 1990 Mubarak Initiative to include chemical and biological as well as nuclear weapons.^[2]

Working toward the broader vision of regional security and peace, METO defines its purpose as the establishment of a zone free of weapons of mass destruction (WMDFZ) in the Middle East.^[3] To achieve that end, the organization embraces a traditional treaty-based approach relying on diplomatic mechanisms and civil society campaigns.^[4] This strategy is supported through programming and events centered around policy debates, advocacy and education.

Three strategic pillars underlie METO's treaty-based approach for achieving the Middle East WMDFZ:

• A WMDFZ Treaty, based on a text negotiated, agreed and adopted by regional governments and relevant stakeholders through an inclusive, multilateral track I and track II diplomatic process facilitated by METO and partner organizations (including formal United Nations negotiations).
• A regional organization, which must be established to oversee and carry out functions necessary to the treaty’s eventual implementation, verification and compliance.
• Engagement with civil society, in particular to foster a civil society movement that can formulate demands to regional and international governments to advance the goals of the proposed treaty.

METO is an international partner of International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons,^[5] International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, Geneva Centre for Security Policy, British American Security Information Council, Abolition 2000,^[6] and Geneva Disarmament Platform.^[7]