History: Summary

Page 2: Summary of the Treaty's History

Onerous Negotiations at the CD

Thanks to the GSE’s scientific groundwork, the CD was able to reach consensus on the verification regime relatively quickly. Other negotiations proved rather more protracted, including those on:

  • Reaching a common definition of a nuclear test (any nuclear test explosion, as well as “peaceful nuclear explosions” but not so-called subcritical tests).
  • Whether to include a binding time plan for nuclear disarmament.

While the first two issues were finally resolved, the CD, which operates by consensus, could not reach a decision on the last one. The Treaty was therefore introduced directly to the U.N. General Assembly, where it was adopted on 10 September 1996.

The core provisions of the CTBT (see summary / full text as PDF) are:

  • Prohibition of all nuclear explosions anywhere, by anyone.
  • Entry into force: the CTBT will enter into force after it has been signed and ratified by the 44 States listed in Annex 2 to the Treaty, i.e. the States that had nuclear power or research reactors at the time.

A norm against nuclear testing

With the CTBT’s opening for signature on 24 September 1996, a de-facto international norm on nuclear testing was established. While all States Signatories to the CTBT have observed it, only three non-signatories have not: the nuclear tests by India and Pakistan in 1998 as well as those of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) in 2006 and 2009 have all provoked universal condemnation including unanimously adopted sanctions by the U.N. Security Council.

To date, most of the world’s countries (see Treaty status map) have signed and ratified the CTBT, including the three nuclear weapon States France, United Kingdom and Russia.

The Creation of the CTBTO

In parallel to the opening of the Treaty for signature, the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) was created, whose mandate is the establishment of the CTBT’s verification regime and the promotion of signatures and ratifications of the Treaty so that it can enter into force.

When complete, the IMS will consist of 337 monitoring facilities. It will be complemented by an intrusive on-site inspection regime applicable once the Treaty has entered into force. Already today, the CTBTO’s experts are confident that their system can detect and identify any militarily relevant nuclear test anywhere on the planet.

 

First chapter:
1945-54: Early efforts to restrain nuclear testing