Treaty of Tlatelolco

Treaty of Tlatelolco

Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean
Zone of Application as delineated in Article 4 of the Treaty of Tlatelolco
Signed	14 February 1967
Location	Mexico City
Effective	22 April 1968
Condition	Deposit of ratifications (Art. 29) / waiver according to Article 29
Parties	33

The Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean (commonly known as The Tlatelolco Treaty) is an international treaty that establishes the denuclearization of Latin America and the Caribbean.^[1] It was proposed by Adolfo López Mateos, the President of Mexico, and promoted by the Mexican diplomats Alfonso García Robles, Ismael Moreno Pino and Jorge Castañeda^[2] as a response to the Cuban Missile Crisis (1962). For his efforts in favor of the reduction of nuclear weapons, García Robles was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1982.^[3]

The preparation of the text was entrusted to the Preparatory Commission for the Denuclearization of Latin America (COPREDAL), which established its headquarters in Mexico City and held four plenary sessions. The Treaty was signed by the signatory countries on February 12, 1967 and entered into force on April 25, 1969.

The organization in charge of monitoring compliance with said treaty is OPANAL (Organization for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean). Signed in 1967, it was the first treaty of its kind covering a populated area of the world, establishing a nuclear-weapon-free zone stretching from the Rio Grande to Tierra del Fuego.