November 10, 2025
Jean du Preez*
Retired South African Ambassador Peter Goosen, one of the heroes of the 1995 and 2000 NPT Review Conferences, and a legend in nonproliferation and disarmament diplomacy, passed away on November 4, 2025. Widely admired for his tenacity, expert knowledge, and ability to find middle-ground solutions, Peter Goosen carved South Africa’s name into the history of the NPT review process and almost every other aspect of weapons of mass destruction and conventional arms nonproliferation and disarmament. His leadership and negotiating style contributed significantly to establishing South Africa as a leading country in multilateral nonproliferation diplomacy. He was admired and revered by friends and foes alike, and he inspired his colleagues in the South African foreign service and other foreign delegations.
Peter served at the South African Embassy in Washington, D.C., from 1989 to 1992, where he was involved in South Africa’s 1991 accession to the NPT and other related bilateral security issues. Upon his return to Pretoria, he was tasked to head up a small unit within the foreign ministry’s multilateral division to coordinate South Africa’s obligations under the NPT, the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC), and the newly signed Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC). During this time, he was involved in the final stages of the dismantlement of the country’s nuclear weapons program, where he coordinated the liaison with International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors. One of his first significant accomplishments was his contribution to the promulgation of the 1993 South African Nonproliferation of WMD Act and the Nuclear Energy Act, which together serve as national implementation legislation for South Africa’s obligations under the NPT and other nonproliferation and disarmament treaties and agreements.
To secure executive support for South Africa’s position as a responsible possessor of advanced technologies and a member of the international community, Peter prepared a cabinet memorandum that led to the adoption of South Africa’s Policy on Nonproliferation and Disarmament by the Mandela government in mid-1994. This policy continues to drive South African adherence to all nonproliferation and disarmament treaties and agreements, as well as its role in multilateral nonproliferation diplomacy.
Peter Goosen is most remembered for his visionary role at the 1995 NPT Review and Extension Conference. In preparation for the Conference, which included a high-level briefing to the then South African Deputy President Thabo Mbeki, he hinged South Africa’s support for the indefinite extension of the Treaty to a set of nuclear disarmament and nonproliferation principles and ways to strengthen the review process. This position became the mainstay of South African Foreign Minister Nzo’s speech at the Conference (also drafted by Goosen). It offered a new, achievable approach for Conference President Jayantha Dhanapala to secure agreement. Peter Goosen played a leading role in negotiating the decisions on “Principles and Objectives for Nuclear Nonproliferation and Disarmament” and the “Strengthen Review Process for the NPT” adopted as parts of a package to secure the indefinite extension of the Treaty. South Africa, whose proposals bridged the gap between nuclear and non-nuclear nations, became the germ of the compromise plan and has emerged as a new leader in the developing world (NY Times, May 9, 1995). The success of South Africa’s diplomacy at the Conference, led by Goosen, brought South Africa directly into the international spotlight of the disarmament and non-proliferation arena. Peter’s visionary approach enabled South Africa, from this time onwards, to play a significant role, punching way above its weight in an arena dominated by big powers and nuclear-weapon states (NWS).
Driven by the successes achieved at the 1995 NPT Conference and based on close collaborations with a few key individuals from middle power delegations, Peter Goosen was a founding member of the “New Agenda Coalition” (NAC) established in 1998 to achieve a nuclear-weapon-free world, through the pursuit of mutually reinforcing measures at the bilateral, plurilateral, and multilateral levels. The NAC played a decisive role at the 2000 NPT Reviewing Conference and secured historic agreements from the NWS on “13 practical steps” for nuclear disarmament, which in turn inspired the successful outcome of that Conference. Goosen’s leadership role and visionary approach contributed directly to the NAC’s successes and the Conference’s outcome. Even during the dying moments of that Conference, when concerns over Iraq’s nuclear program threatened to derail the successful outcome, Peter’s knack for crafting consensus-style text and his relationship with key delegations enabled the Conference President to secure an agreed outcome.
As Deputy Permanent Representative to the Conference on Disarmament (CD) in Geneva, Goosen brokered a solution in 1996 that permitted the 38 deadlocked CD delegations to expand the Conference to its current 65 members, including South Africa. As the leading South African negotiator, Peter made key contributions to the final negotiations of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), which was concluded in September 1996. In recognition of South Africa’s growing role and the success of its approach, the then Permanent Representative to the United Nations and the CD was elected to preside over the first session of the Preparatory Committee (PrepCom) to establish the CTBT Organization. Peter was the Ambassador’s principal advisor and played a significant role in securing key elements related to the future work of the PrepCom. Similarly, Peter directly contributed to the successful negotiations of the 1997 Treaty Banning Anti-Personal Mines as principal advisor to the Oslo negotiating Conference president and as leader of the South African delegation. During this time, he also served on the United Nations Secretary-General’s Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters.
Peter Goosen was South Africa’s designated representative on the OAU/UA working group tasked to negotiate the 1996 African Nuclear-Weapons-Free Zone treaty. He played a leading role in several meetings of the working group and secured agreement for the final negotiations to be held in South Africa and for the Treaty to be named the “Treaty of Pelindaba” in recognition of South Africa’s role in dismantling its weapons and securing a nuclear-weapon-free Africa.
Peter Goosen is also remembered for his leading role in efforts to strengthen the BWC by negotiating a verification protocol for the treaty. He actively participated in seven years of negotiations in Geneva, developed key aspects of the future protocol, and chaired a subgroup to negotiate an inspection regime for the Treaty. While negotiations failed in 2003 due to US opposition, Peter’s legacy during the process remains legendary. In recognition of his role, he was selected to chair the 2004 meeting of BWC States Parties.
Goosen also played a key role in securing South Africa’s membership of strategic control groups, including the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) and the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR). He helped negotiate an agreement to secure U.S. support for South Africa’s membership, and under his leadership, South Africa became a major player in these groups. In 2004, when serving as Chief Director for Disarmament and Nonproliferation in the South African Department of International Relations and Cooperation, he coordinated a sting operation that led to the discovery of attempts to export nuclear-related equipment to Libya illegally. Through his role and that of the South African authorities, the attempted export was not only halted but also led to the exposure of a significant part of the AQ Khan network.
One of Peter Goosen’s lesser-known, yet significant roles in the disarmament sphere was as Ambassador to the Netherlands and Permanent Representative to the OPCW in The Hague from 2009 – 2014. During this time, he chaired both the OPCW Executive Council and the CWC Conference of State Parties. He played a leading role in how the Organization responded to Syria’s use of chemical weapons.
Ambassador Goosen started his diplomatic career in 1980, and his first post was in London. Later, he was selected to serve as Private Secretary to Foreign Minister Pik Botha. During that time, he was involved in the Tripartite talks in the former South West Africa that led to Namibia’s independence. In addition to his diplomatic posts in Washington D.C., Geneva, and The Hague, he also served as Ambassador to Argentina and Paraguay (2005 – 2009), as Chief Director for North America Affairs (2016 to 2020), and as Ambassador to Mauritania (2020 – 2021). Ambassador Goosen retired in 2022, leaving behind him a strong legacy as a formidable South African nonproliferation and disarmament expert and negotiator.
Doing justice to Peter Goosen’s contributions to nonproliferation and disarmament would require volumes. He was involved in almost every aspect of WMD and conventional arms nonproliferation and disarmament. But it was his deep insights into complex issues, coupled with his tenacity in finding realistic, achievable solutions to intractable problems, that made him legendary. He was a no-nonsense diplomat, yet he had a wicked, dry sense of humor. Most of all, Peter will be remembered for his love for his family, his loyalty to his colleagues, and his profound belief in his country. South Africa’s role and profile in multilateral nonproliferation diplomacy are greatly indebted to Peter Goosen’s contributions over so many years. Rest in peace, my friend, mentor, and brother-in-arms.
Jean du Preez has known Ambassador Goosen since 1989 and served with him at the South African Embassy in Washington, D.C., on delegations to NPT and BWC conferences, and in the South African Department of Foreign Affairs (now Department of International Relations and Cooperation)
