April 24, 2026
The James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS), in partnership with the Center for Science and Security Studies (CSSS) at King’s College London, has published the 2026 edition of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Briefing Book.
Click to view the NPT Briefing Book 2026
The Briefing Book serves as a comprehensive reference guide, featuring a wide selection of documents related to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and its review process. It is widely used by national delegations and members of civil society in preparation for NPT meetings.
The new 2026 edition, along with previous editions, is now available online. A limited number of printed copies will also be available to national delegations at the upcoming NPT Review Conference.
First published in 1990 by Professor John Simpson and Ben Saunders under the auspices of the Mountbatten Centre for International Studies at the University of Southampton, the Briefing Book has evolved into a cornerstone resource for the NPT community. Since 2012, it has been produced by CSSS in partnership with CNS.
Over the years, the Briefing Book has become a fixture of NPT meetings, designed to be accessible to both seasoned experts and newcomers. “Diplomats often refer to the NPT Briefing Book as the ‘NPT review process bible.’ It has become an indispensable tool for their work,” said Dr. William C. Potter, Founding Director of CNS and Professor of Nonproliferation Studies at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in Monterey, California.
The 2026 edition is organized into two main parts:
Part I provides an updated introductory guide to nuclear energy and nuclear weapons, along with an overview of the evolution of the NPT and its review process. It includes factual summaries of past review cycles, a summary of the 11th NPT Review Conference held in 2022, and summaries of the Preparatory Committee (PrepCom) sessions held in 2023, 2024, and 2025.
Part II contains a curated collection of reference documents—both historical and contemporary—organized into thematic chapters. Each chapter is assigned an alphabetic code. The documents are drawn from a variety of sources, with priority given to official materials from international organizations and governments. Where applicable, documents are cross-referenced across sections, and some are presented as excerpts highlighting the most relevant content.
For more information, please contact: Mr. Jean du Preez Email: [email protected]
