Press Conference: Dr. Robert Floyd, Executive…

The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) is intrinsically linked to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) as it was the condition for the latter’s indefinite extension in 1995.

The CTBT bans all nuclear explosions everywhere, by everyone, and for all time. Adherence to the Treaty is nearly universal – 186 States have signed and 173 have ratified.

The CTBTO has established an International Monitoring System (IMS) to ensure that no nuclear explosion goes undetected. Currently, 303 certified facilities – of a total of 337 when complete – are operating around the world, using four main technologies: seismic, hydroacoustic, infrasound and radionuclide.

The data registered by the IMS can also be used for disaster mitigation such as earthquake monitoring, tsunami warning, and tracking radioactivity from nuclear accidents, as well as research into fields as diverse as whale migration, climate change or the prediction of monsoon rains.