Welcome friends

Over 40 years have passed since the creation of the Agency for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean (OPANAL) on February 14, 1967. Since the days of the Cold War when OPANAL was founded, many changes have taken place internationally, creating the world we live in today. Among those changes are the incredible advances in communications. Today, OPANAL joins the world wide web with one clear objective in mind--to share the full significance of the Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean (known internationally as the Treaty of Tlatelolco) from its conception in 1962 up until its full entry into force in 1995. But more importantly, we will continue to publish the latest news about the Treaty of Tlatelolco and OPANAL's efforts to benefit nuclear disarmament and the resulting peace and security of the peoples of the world. Therefore, it is my pleasure to extend to you a most warm welcome to the OPANAL web site. By reading its pages, you will become familiar, in an educational, informative, and updated way, with the efforts of this uniquely Latin American organization that began as a dream and today is a reality. OPANAL has become one of the fundamental pillars of the International Nuclear Nonproliferation Regime and has greatly influenced similar initiatives against other weapons of mass destruction in other regions of the world. In 1967, the dream began with 18 countries. In 1998, all 33 states in the Latin American and Caribbean region belong to our organization regardless of their origin, race, or political creed. All share one common ideal--nuclear disarmament. In addition to this regional effort, all five nuclear powers have made a commitment to respect and ensure the enforcement of the Treaty of Tlatelolco. Other countries have joined Latin America and the Caribbean in the Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone Movement. They include the countries of the South Pacific through the Treaty of Rarotonga (1985), those of Southeast Asia through the Treaty of Bangkok (1995), those of Africa through the Treaty of Pelindaba (1996) and the 5 states of Central Asia through the Treaty of Semipalatinsk (2006) . Consequently, today 115 countries throughout the world have taken the political and moral decision to never possess nuclear weapons by declaring Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zones in densely populated areas. Once again, we invite you to browse our web site. Join us and become a part of our efforts to keep the dream of a peaceful, secure world alive by eradicating nuclear weapons once and for all from the face of the earth.