On April 27, the States Party to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) began their month-long review of the treaty since the 2010 NPT Review Conference.
Over the first few days of the conference, dozens of states and groups of states expressed their strong support for the entry into force of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) and of the full development of the verification regime. Excerpts are available online.
In his address to the conference on April 29, Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) Executive Secretary Lassina Zerbo highlighted the need for concrete action. "We must ask ourselves, why is it that we have failed to bring the CTBT into full legal standing? It has been nearly twenty years since the opening for signature, and yet the Treaty is still not in force."
"Mere words of support without real action will not suffice," Zerbo said. "Bringing the CTBT into force is the responsibility of all NPT States Parties. And just as importantly, if action is not taken, you will bear the responsibility for letting the Treaty fail. With your continued support for the Treaty and the full development of its verification regime, I am confident that this outcome will be avoided."