European union makes voluntary contribution of over five million euros
Vienna, 14 November 2012
On Tuesday 13 November 2012, the Council of the European Union (EU) approved a new voluntary contribution in support of the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO).
CTBTO Executive Secretary Tibor Tóth welcomed the decision: “A contribution of this magnitude, especially in times of austerity budgets, is testimony to the EU’s unwavering support for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) and the CTBTO. The EU’s leadership on this issue is reflected in many ways.”
The new contribution will enable the CTBTO to further enhance its verification regime to detect any nuclear explosion and, in particular, to assist developing countries to participate actively in this multilateral verification effort. The contribution has six elements (see EU Official Journal for full text):
- Enhancing the CTBTO’s Atmospheric Transport Modelling (ATM) capabilities: This will allow better backtracking of the movement of airborne radioactive materials after their detection by a radionuclide monitoring station.
- Enhancing the CTBTO’s noble gas detection capabilities: Increasing knowledge of radioxenon background levels will improve detection methods, especially of the noble gas xenon, which is typically emitted by underground nuclear explosions.
- Support for the further build-up of on-site inspection (OSI) capabilities, in particular for the next major OSI simulation in Jordan in 2014, the Integrated Field Exercise 2014: By developing multispectral and infrared sensors for installation on helicopters or aircraft in order to capture image data at specific frequencies across the electromagnetic spectrum, the CTBTO will be able to identify signs of a nuclear explosion on the ground more efficiently.
- Support for the sustainment of auxiliary seismic stations: 120 of the CTBTO’s 170 seismic stations are auxiliary stations, meaning they send data on request only. The operation and maintenance of this type of station is the responsibility of CTBTO Member States. The EU assists those developing countries that lack the necessary resources and know-how.
- Capacity building and training: Through technical workshops and training, experts – especially from developing countries – will be able to make use of up to 16 gigabytes of data collected daily by the CTBTO’s global network of monitoring stations. This will not only allow experts from CTBTO Member States to have an informed opinion about whether a nuclear explosion has taken place but will also permit them to use the data for disaster warning and research purposes.
- Support for the Capacity Development Initiative (CDI): This is part of the organization’s efforts to increase awareness and stimulate understanding of the Treaty through training courses and e-learning activities covering all technical, scientific, legal and political aspects of the CTBT and its verification regime.
For further information on the CTBT, please see www.ctbto.org – your resource on ending nuclear testing, or contact:
Annika Thunborg,
Spokesperson and Chief of Public Information T +43 1 26030-6375
E [email protected]
M +43 699 1459 6375
I www.ctbto.org Connect with CTBTO on facebook, twitter, flickr and youtube.
Spokesperson and Chief of Public Information T +43 1 26030-6375
E [email protected]
M +43 699 1459 6375
I www.ctbto.org Connect with CTBTO on facebook, twitter, flickr and youtube.