Namibia ratifies Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty

Namibia deposited its instrument of ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) with the Secretary-General of the United Nations on 29 June 2001. This brings the total of Treaty ratifications to 77. 161 States have so far signed the Treaty. Namibia hosts two stations in the global network of 321 monitoring stations and 16 laboratories which make up the International Monitoring System (IMS) – an infrasound station and an auxiliary seismic station. Under the CTBT, the IMS records data necessary to verify compliance with the Treaty using four complementary technologies. The stations are capable of registering vibrations from a possible explosion underground, in the seas and in the air, and can detect radioactive material which may have been released into the atmosphere.

The monitoring stations transmit the data via satellite to the International Data Centre (IDC) at the headquarters of the Preparatory Commission in Vienna, where it is used to detect, locate and characterise events. These data and IDC products are made available to the States Signatories for final analysis. The CTBT prohibits all nuclear weapon test explosions and 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 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.

The 77 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, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, El Salvador, Estonia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, Germany, Greece, Grenada, Guyana, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Kiribati, Lao People?s Democratic Republic, Lesotho, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Maldives, Mali, Mexico, Micronesia (Federated States of), Monaco, Mongolia, Morocco, Namibia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Romania, Russian Federation, Saint Lucia, Senegal, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Ukraine and Uzbekistan.

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