BASIC -- the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty

THE COMPREHENSIVE
TEST BAN TREATY (CTBT)

Hot Topics! | BASIC Publications | Official Documents | Links

On 10 September 1996, a Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) was overwhelmingly endorsed at the United Nations in New York. The Treaty bans all explosive tests that lead to a nuclear chain reaction.

44 nations, including the five nuclear weapon states plus India and Pakistan - the most recent testers - are required to ratify the CTBT before it comes into force. As of November 2001, 31 of those states have ratified the Treaty, including the nuclear weapon states of Britain, France, and the Russian Federation. In all, 164 countries have signed the CTBT and 88 have deposited their instruments of ratification.

Currently, international non-proliferation fora continue to pressure the states required to ratify the CTBT for its entry into force. The Fall 2001 UN First Committee on Disarmament called for prompt entry into force of the treaty, but obtaining the required ratifications of several nuclear-capable states, including India, Iraq, Pakistan, North Korea, and the United States, is a large challenge for the international community..

Hot Topics!

Conference on Entry into Force November 2001

Status of CTBT Ratification Updated June 2001

Global Quotations on CTBT and ABM

BASIC Publications

India Thanks Bush for CTBT Reprieve BASIC Reports #78,
15 May 2001

CTBT Inspections Remain Contentious BASIC Reports #77,
10 March 2001

U.S. Tests Test Ban Treaty
BASIC Press Release,
26 June 1997

New Text for a Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty BASIC Paper #18, 30 May 1996

A Test Ban Treaty that Doesn’t Ban Tests BASIC Reports #53,
23 September 1996.
Available only in PDF