Secretary-General Welcomes Adoption by Security Council of Resolution on Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon:

The Secretary-General welcomes the action taken today by the Security Council in support of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT).  He commends the United States for its initiative and the members of the Council, particularly its permanent members, for their support.

This comes as we commemorate the twentieth anniversary of the opening for signature of the CTBT tomorrow.  This action by the Council is especially timely as the international norm against nuclear tests has been repeatedly challenged in recent years by one country.

But this resolution is not a substitute for the entry-into-force of the CTBT.  The Secretary-General acknowledges the commitment of the nuclear-weapon States to upholding their moratorium on nuclear test, as expressed in their joint statement of 15 September 2016.  He stresses the importance of accelerating the work towards the entry-into-force and universality of the Treaty.

In this regard, the Secretary-General renews his call for the two nuclear-weapon States that have not yet ratified the CTBT to translate their commitment to the moratorium into urgent action as well as for the six other remaining States listed in Annex 2 of the Treaty to join the CTBT without any further delay.

In order to achieve the universality of the Treaty, every single ratification counts.  The Secretary-General also calls on all the remaining non-Annex 2 States that have not yet done so to accelerate their efforts to join the Treaty.  The Secretary-General congratulates Myanmar and Swaziland for depositing their respective instruments of ratification this week.  He also commends the efforts being made by Thailand for its ratification.

These steps, and the action by the Council in support of disarmament and non-proliferation, take us one step closer to our shared goal of a world without nuclear tests and free from nuclear weapons.  The Secretary-General stands ready to support all States in their efforts to bring the CTBT into force.