Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization

Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization
AbbreviationCTBTO Preparatory Commission
Formation19 November 1996; 28 years ago (1996-11-19)
Founded atUnited Nations Headquarters, New York City
TypeIntergovernmental
PurposePrepare for the entry into force of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty.
HeadquartersVienna International Centre
Vienna, Austria
Coordinates48°14′05″N 16°25′01″E / 48.234722°N 16.416944°E / 48.234722; 16.416944
FieldsNuclear disarmament
Membership (2017)
186 Member States[1]
Executive Secretary
Robert Floyd
Budget (2018)
$128.1 million[2]
Staff278[2] (in 2018)
Websitectbto.org

The Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization, or CTBTO Preparatory Commission, is an international organization based in Vienna, Austria, that is tasked with building up the verification regime of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO). The organization was established by the States Signatories to the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) in 1996.

Its main purpose is twofold: to promote the entry into force of the CTBT, and to establish a global verification regime in preparation for the Treaty's entry into force.[3]

As the CTBTO Preparatory Commission is an interim organization, it will be dissolved once the CTBT enters into force and will be replaced by the CTBTO, with all its assets being transferred to the CTBTO. This change will occur at the close of the first Conference of States Parties of the CTBT, which will take place when the Treaty has entered into force. For the Treaty to enter into force, the following states need to ratify the CTBT: China, North Korea, Egypt, India, Iran, Israel, Pakistan, Russia, and the United States. Entry into force will occur 180 days after these states ratify the Treaty.[3][4]

  1. ^ "Status of Signature and Ratification". Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization. 25 September 2018. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
  2. ^ a b Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (2018). Annual Report 2018 (PDF) (Report). Provisional Technical Secretariat of the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 February 2021. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  3. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Background was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO Preparatory Commission)". Nuclear Threat Initiative. 25 September 2017. Retrieved 29 January 2019.