Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty
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Background
Information
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Why is the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty important?
‹ Information
on the Conference to Facilitate the Entry Into Force (EIF) of the CTBT, Vienna,
September 3-5
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What
can
be achieved at
the next EIF Conference
‹ What
NGOs can do to bolster the EIF Conference
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NGO
Accreditation Information to the EIF Conference, 2002
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Further
Information and Contacts
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Documents from the 2003 CTBT Conference
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Documents
from 2001 CTBT Conference
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Summary Papers on the
2001 CTBT Conference
* The CTBT bans "all nuclear weapon test explosion or any other nuclear explosion" and establishes an extensive International Monitoring System and allows for short-notice on-site inspections.
* The (CTBT) was negotiated in Geneva by the Conference on Disarmament and was adopted by the General Assembly as a resolution (A/RES/50/245) on 10 September 1996 and opened for signature in September 1996.
* Under the terms of the treaty, all forty-four countries with nuclear power plants must sign and ratify before it becomes legally binding, or "enters into force".
* The Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty has been signed by 168 countries and ratified by 104. Out of the 44 Annex II States (nuclear capable states whose ratification is necessary for the EIF), 32 have ratified. Three have not even signed. See the CTBT Organization website for the latest signators and ratifiers.
* Article 14 of the CTBT allows for a special conference on accelerating Entry Into Force if the treaty has not entered into force. The conference does not have the power to amend the treaty.
* In October of 1999 the first such Conference on Facilitating the Entry Into Force of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test Ban Treaty was held in Vienna. Ninety-two states unanimously adopted a Final Declaration at that meeting hearing over fifty statements examining measures consistent with international law to accelerate the Treaty's ratification.
* Since the 1999 conference, the Treaty has been ratified by twenty-six additional states, six which are in the group of forty-four states essential for the Entry Into Force of the Treaty.
1. States that still have to ratify before the CTBT can enter into force: Algeria, China,Colombia, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Democratic Republic of the Congo, India, Indonesia, Israel, Pakistan, United States of America, Vietnam. . India, North Korea and Pakistan have not even signed the Treaty.
2. Article XIV: "If this Treaty has not entered into force three years after the date of the anniversary of its opening for signature, the Depositary shall convene a Conference of the States that have already deposited their instruments of ratification upon the request of a majority of those States. This process shall be repeated at subsequent anniversaries of the opening for signature of this Treaty, until its entry into force."
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CTBT's
Central Features
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Summary
of CTBT Treaty Articles
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Chronology
of Key Events in the Effort to End Nuclear Weapons Testing: 1945-1999.
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Why is the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty important?
* The CTBT has been seen as an essential step toward nuclear disarmament for over four decades. It bans all nuclear tests, anytime, anywhere and comprehensively. Without the CTBT, the United States, Russia, China, France the United Kingdom, India and Pakistan are not prohibited from conducting further underground test explosions. The effort to establish an international norm against nuclear testing must not be abandoned after the enormous effort on the part of governments and NGOs, especially when the ratifications of only thirteen states is required for Entry Into Force.
* The Treaty is intended to stop the qualitative nuclear arms race. The CTBT does not prohibit research on nuclear weapons, including subcritical tests. But it is very difficult, if not impossible, to develop new nuclear weapons without nuclear test explosions. This explains why all Nuclear Weapons States have resisted such a treaty for over four decades. Now that an agreement on the test ban has been reached and Entry Into Force is within reach, the effort to establish an international norm against nuclear testing must be actively pursued. Should the CTBT not enter into force, all the enormous effort on the part of governments and NGOs would be lost.
* The CTBT will prevent further horrendous health and environmental damage caused by nuclear test explosions once and for all.
* The CTBTO (the organization of the CTBT and the Secretariat of the Conferences) is already making great strides to establish a wide-ranging monitoring and verification system, including an International Monitoring System and an International Data Centre, which together with national technical means and ten of thousands of civilian monitoring stations, will detect and deter would-be testers, and therefore, will build confidence between all nations that nuclear testing has stopped.
What can be achieved at this Conference to Facilitate the Entry Into Force of the CTBT?
The Entry Into Force (EIF) Conference is expected to be an opportunity for:
* announcing ratifications and signatures;
* calling on those states that have not yet signed or ratified the CTBT to join the international consensus to end nuclear testing;
* urging states with active nuclear weapon research programmes and test sites to take actions that would reinforce the CTBT and support its goals, such as refraining from activities at test sites that might be construed as CTBT violations, halting research, development and production of nuclear nuclear warheads based on modifications of existing designs, that give them new military capabilities;
* examining ways and means of removing obstacles which delay Entry Into Force;
* discussing and agreeing on specific measures to convince the last holdout states to support the test ban;
* support for the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organisation in Vienna that has made significant progress in setting up the International Monitoring System and International Data Center, so that the CTBT's verification system is ready by the time the treaty enters into force;
* condemning any future testing; and,
* calling upon governments, businesses and peoples to take decisive action in reaction to any future testing.
* sign the NGO statement to be delivered to the CTBT States Parties on September 8, 2003, and if you want to sign your organization on to the letter, please email Professor Schoenfeld of the Vienna NGO Committee on Disarmament;
* make an appointment to speak with a representative at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or equivalent and encourage the Foreign Minister to attend the conference to publicly urge the CTBT hold out states to promptly ratify the Treaty; to contact your government's mission, see RCW's Governmental Database
* attend the September 3-5, 2003 Conference on Entry-Into-Force in Vienna
* monitor the September 3-5, 2003 Conference on Entry-Into-Force through the Reaching Critical Will website and react to what your government does or does not say
* publicize your views and your government's policies on the CTBT to the press in your country.
‹ Accreditation Information for NGOs
NGOs wishing to attending the EIF Conference must send a letter to Mr. Christian Evertz with the names of the representatives from your organization. This letter can be emailed or faxed to Mr. Evertz, along with the application form available on the CTBTO website.
On Friday, September 5, NGOs are allowed to deliver one statement to the States Parties during the morning session. As NGOs are only allowed to deliver one, collective statement, which we are currently drafting through on a RCW-managed listserve.
On Wednesday, September 3, the Verification Research, Training, and Information Centre (VERTIC), will be holding a panel on "Verifying the CTBT: Participation, Progress, and Potential." The panel will take place at 1:15, in Hall G/H of the Austria Centre. For more information, contact Trevor Findlay of VERTIC.
If you have any other questions, please email one of the three NGO Contact People:
Rhianna
Tyson, Project Associate, Reaching Critical Will
Aaron Tovish, Project Director,
NGO Committee on Disarmament, Geneva
Thomas Schoenfeld, NGO Committee
on Peace and Disarmament, Vienna
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For More Information on the CTBT Conference
go to the websites of:
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The
Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organization
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The
Department for Disarmament Affairs (including links to countries statements)..
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The Acronym Institute
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Arms
Control Association
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The
Coalition to Reduce Nuclear Dangers
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International
Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War
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Physicians
for Social Responsibility
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WILPF/Reaching
Critical Will
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VERTIC
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Greenpeace
International
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Greenpeace
Star Wars Campaign
Documents from the 2003 Conference, 3-5
September, Vienna
NGO Statement, including list of NGO sign-ons
All
official statements are posted by the CTBTO
as they become available.
Documents
from 2001 Conference
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List
of Speakers
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Draft
Declaration
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Final
Declaration in
English, in
French, in
Spanish
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Secretary
General's opening speech at the CTBT Conference,
November 11, 2001.
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CTBT
Media Release from Australian Foreign Minister, November 15,
2001.
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NGO
Statement delivered to the CTBT Conference, November
13, 2001.
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Letter
to CTBT Signers and CTBT Hold-outs from Non-Governmental Organizations.
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Invitation
to NGOs to attend the Second Conference on Facilitating the Entry Into Force
of the dComprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT)
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Summary
Papers on the 2001 CTBT Conference:
"High Level
CTBT Meeting "Successful" despite US Boycott"
By Rebecca Johnson, The Acronym Institute for Disarmament Diplomacy
http://www.acronym.org.uk/ctbt/2001xiv.htm