The 2015 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) will kick off in New York on Monday.

The conference, to run till May 22, will discuss a number of key issues related to nuclear disarmament efforts, non-proliferation of nuclear weapons and measures to advance the peaceful use of nuclear energy.

Participants will also discuss implementation of the 1995 resolution on the Middle East, measures to address withdrawal from the NPT treaty and ways to promote engagement with civil society in strengthening NPT norms and in promoting disarmament education.

The NPT is a landmark international treaty whose objective is to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons technology, to promote cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy and to further the goal of achieving nuclear disarmament and general and complete disarmament.

Conferences to review the operation of the Treaty have been held at five-year intervals since the Treaty went into effect in 1970.