Ecuador ratifies Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty

Ecuador deposited its instrument of ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) with the Secretary-General of the United Nations on 12 November 2001, bringing the total of ratifications in the Latin American and Caribbean region to 16. Ecuador is the 87th State Signatory to have ratified the Treaty. For the CTBT to enter into force, a further 13 of the 44 nuclear-capable States listed in Annex 2 to the Treaty need to ratify it.

Ecuador hosts an infrasound station and a radionuclide station, both located in the Galapagos Islands. The stations form part of the global network of 337 monitoring facilities - the International Monitoring System (IMS) - established under the terms of the CTBT to verify Treaty compliance. IMS facilities record data using four complementary technologies - seismic, hydroacoustic, infrasound and radionuclide. Together, these technologies are capable of registering vibrations from a possible nuclear explosion underground, in the seas and in the air, as well as detecting radioactive debris released into the atmosphere. The monitoring facilities transmit the data via satellite to the International Data Centre (IDC) in Vienna, where the data are used to detect, locate and characterize events.

These data and IDC products are made available to the States Signatories for final analysis. The CTBT bans any nuclear weapon test explosion or any other nuclear explosion anywhere in the world. Drafted at the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva, and adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 10 September 1996, the Treaty was opened for signature on 24 September 1996. A Conference convened under Article XIV of the Treaty to facilitate entry into force is currently underway at United Nations Headquarters in New York.

The 87 States that have deposited their instruments of ratification of the CTBT are: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium, Benin, Bolivia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, El Salvador, Estonia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, Germany, Greece, Grenada, Guyana, Holy See, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Kiribati, Lao People?s Democratic Republic, Lesotho, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mexico, Micronesia (Federated States of), Monaco, Mongolia, Morocco, Namibia, Nauru, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Romania, Russian Federation, Saint Lucia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Uruguay and Uzbekistan.

For further information on the CTBTO, please see www.ctbto.org or contact: 
Annika Thunborg, Chief, Public Information   
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