OPANAL

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OPANAL (the Agency for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean) is an international group that works to keep the region free of nuclear weapons and to promote non-aggression and nuclear disarmament. Its Spanish name is Organismo para la Proscripción de las Armas Nucleares en la América Latina y el Caribe.

Created by the Treaty of Tlatelolco, signed in 1967 and ratified in 1969, the treaty bans signatory countries from using, storing, or transporting nuclear weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean. The first Secretary General was Leopoldo Benites of Ecuador. OPANAL is based in Mexico City, Mexico.

The organization holds a General Conference of member nations about every two years, with special sessions when needed. Its governing bodies are the Council and the Secretariat, which is led by the Secretary General. The current Secretary General is Flávio Roberto Bonzanini.

OPANAL works to ensure treaty compliance, coordinates meetings among member countries, participates in other international conferences, and produces publications on nuclear disarmament. It is often cited as an example of how middle‑power countries can use diplomacy and coalition-building to address global problems and act as intermediaries between larger powers.

After the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, Mexico pushed for denuclearization in the region, leading to the Treaty of Tlatelolco in 1967—the first treaty to ban nuclear weapons in a densely populated area. Today, 33 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean are members. Cuba joined later, signing the treaty in 1995 and ratifying it in 2002; the 2003 General Conference was held in Havana.

OPANAL’s website is opanal.org.