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Conference on Facilitating the Entry into Force of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty
Report of the Conference

New York, 11-13 November 2001

/2001/6 15 November 2001 Original: English 01-64033 (E)

 

I. Introduction

 

1. The Conference on Facilitating the Entry into Force of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, convened pursuant to article XIV of the Treaty, was opened on 11 November 2001 by the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Kofi A. Annan, who delivered a statement on that occasion.

 

2. The following 109 States that had already deposited their instruments of ratification of the Treaty before the opening of the Conference and States signatories which had not yet deposited their instruments of ratification before the opening of the Conference participated in the Conference: Algeria, Andorra, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Canada, Cape Verde, Chile, China, Colombia, Congo, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Haiti, Holy See, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Lesotho, Liberia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malaysia, Maldives, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, Mongolia, Morocco, Nauru, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Russian Federation, San Marino, Senegal, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Togo, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yugoslavia, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

 

3. In conformity with rule 40 of the rules of procedure, the following other States attended the Conference: Barbados, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Cuba, Iraq, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya,1 Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Sudan.  

 

4. In accordance with rule 41 of the rules of procedure, the following specialized agencies, related organizations and intergovernmental organizations attended the Conference: Agency for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean, International Atomic Energy Agency and Pacific Islands Forum.

 

5. In accordance with rule 42 of the rules of procedure, Palestine attended the Conference.

 

6. In accordance with rule 43 of the rules of procedure, 24 non-governmental organizations attended the Conference.

 

7. A list of the delegations to the Conference, including participating States, other States, specialized agencies, related organizations, intergovernmental organizations, entities having been granted observer status in the United Nations General Assembly and non-governmental organizations, is contained in document  

 

II. Organizational and procedural decisions

 

8. At its 1st plenary meeting, on 11 November 2001, the Conference elected, by acclamation, as President of the Conference, Miguel Marin Bosch (Mexico). On that occasion, the President delivered a statement.

 

9. At the same meeting, the Conference adopted the rules of procedure for the  

 

10. Also at the same meeting, the Conference adopted the provisional agenda and timetable, with the following agenda items:  

 

1. Opening of the Conference by the Secretary-General of the United Nations.  

 

2. Election of the President.  

 

3. Adoption of the rules of procedure.  

 

4. Adoption of the agenda and other organizational matters.  

 

5. Election of officers other than the President.  

 

6. Credentials of representatives to the Conference:  

 

(a) Appointment of the members of the Credentials Committee;  

 

(b) Report of the Credentials Committee.  

 

7. Confirmation of the Secretary of the Conference.  

 

8. Address by the Executive Secretary of the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization.  

 

9. Presentation of a progress report on cooperation to facilitate the entry into force of the Treaty.  

 

10. General exchange of views by ratifiers and signatories on facilitating the entry into force of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty.  

 

11. Statements by non-signatory States.  

 

12. Statement on behalf of non-governmental organizations.  

 

13. Consideration and adoption of a final document.  

 

14. Any matters arising from paragraph 3 of article XIV of the Treaty.  

 

15. Adoption of the report of the Conference.  

 

16. Closure of the Conference.  

 

 

 

11. Also at the same meeting, in accordance with rule 6 of the rules of procedure, the Conference elected the representatives of Austria, Peru, the Republic of Korea, Slovakia and South Africa as Vice-Presidents of the Conference.   

 

12. Also at the same meeting, in accordance with rule 11 of the rules of procedure, the Conference confirmed the nomination by the Secretary-General of the United Nations of Hannelore Hoppe, Chief of the Weapons of Mass Destruction Branch, Department for Disarmament Affairs, United Nations Secretariat, as Secretary of the Conference.  

 

13. Also at the same meeting, in accordance with rule 4 of the rules of procedure, upon the proposal of the President, the Conference established a Credentials Committee composed of representatives of Chile, Japan, Kenya, Sweden and Ukraine. The report of the Credentials Committee was adopted by the Conference at its 5th plenary meeting, on 13 November.

 

III. Work of the Conference

 

14. The Conference held a total of five plenary meetings and had before it the following documents:

 

CTBT-Art.XIV/2001/1/Rev.2 Draft provisional agenda and proposed timetable for the work of the Conference

 

CTBT-Art.XIV/2001/2 and Corr.1 Draft rules of procedure of the Conference

 

CTBT-Art.XIV/2001/3 and Corr.1 Background document by the Provisional Technical Secretariat of the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization, prepared for the Conference on Facilitating the Entry into Force of the Treaty (New York, 2001)

 

CTBT-Art.XIV/2001/4 Letter dated 9 November from the Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General, transmitting the text of an address by the President of the Russian Federation

 

CTBT-Art.XIV/2001/5 Report of the Credentials Committee

 

CTBT-Art.XIV/2001/WP.1 Draft final declaration

 

CTBT-Art.XIV/2001/WP.2 Draft report of the Conference

 

CTBT-Art.XIV/2001/INF.1 Information note

 

CTBT-Art.XIV/2001/INF.2/Rev.1 List of participants

 

15. At the 1st plenary meeting, Wolfgang Hoffmann, Executive Secretary of the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization, addressed the Conference.  

 

16. At the same meeting, Nobuyasu Abe (Japan) presented a progress report on cooperation to facilitate the entry into force of the Treaty.

 

17. At its 1st to 5th plenary meetings, from 11 to 13 November, under agenda item 10, the Conference held a general exchange of views by ratifiers and signatories on facilitating the entry into force of the Treaty. Statements by representatives of participating States were made in the following order: Austria, Belgium (on behalf of the European Union and associated States Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Turkey), Malta, Sweden, Finland, Ireland, Peru, Russian Federation, Czech Republic, Slovenia, Mexico, Lesotho, Iceland, Australia, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Germany, Republic of Korea, Egypt, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, New Zealand, Netherlands, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Belarus, Greece, Argentina, Morocco, Bulgaria, Thailand, Nauru (on behalf of the Pacific Islands Forum Group), Poland, Slovakia, Norway, Malaysia, Israel, Holy See, Senegal, Chile (on behalf of the Group of Rio), Switzerland, Croatia, Algeria, Portugal, Venezuela, Canada, Turkey, Luxembourg, Paraguay, Azerbaijan, Italy, Uruguay (on behalf of the MERCOSUR Group), Japan, China, Lithuania, Spain, Hungary, France, Guatemala, Yugoslavia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Brazil, Zambia, Philippines, Singapore, Kazakhstan, Colombia, Qatar, Chile, Denmark, Zimbabwe, Nicaragua, South Africa, Viet Nam, Nigeria, Romania, Armenia and Gabon.  

 

18. At its 5th plenary meeting, on 13 November, in accordance with rule 40 of the rules of procedure, under agenda item 11, a statement was made by the representative of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya.  

 

19. At the same meeting, in accordance with rule 43 of the rules of procedure, under agenda item 12, a statement on behalf of non-governmental organizations attending the Conference was made by Rebecca Johnson, of the Acronym Institute for Disarmament Diplomacy.

 

IV. Conclusion of the Conference 20. At the 5th plenary meeting, on 13 November, under agenda item 13, the Conference considered and adopted its Final Declaration, the text of which is contained in the annex to the present report. At the time of the adoption of the Final Declaration, the Conference noted that representatives of the following nonsignatory States had attended the Conference: Barbados, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Cuba, Iraq, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Sudan. The Conference welcomed them and expressed its appreciation for their presence. 21. At the same meeting, the Conference considered agenda item 14, entitled “Any matters arising from paragraph 3 of article XIV of the Treaty”, and took note of the provisions contained in paragraph 3 of article XIV of the Treaty. 22. Also at the same meeting, the Conference considered and adopted its report. Notes 1 The Libyan Arab Jamahiriya signed the Treaty before the closure of the Conference on 13 November 2001.  

 

 Annex Conference on Facilitating the Entry into Force of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (New York, 2001)  

 

Final Declaration  

 

1. Fully conscious of the responsibilities which we assumed by signing the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, pursuant to article XIV of that Treaty, and recalling the Final Declaration adopted by the Conference, held in Vienna, from 6 to 8 October 1999, we the ratifiers, together with the States Signatories, met in New York from 11 to 13 November 2001 to promote the entry into force of the Treaty at the earliest possible date. We welcomed the presence of representatives of non-signatory States, international organizations and non-governmental organizations.

 

2. We reaffirmed our strong determination to enhance international peace and security throughout the world and stressed the importance of a universal and internationally and effectively verifiable comprehensive nuclear-test-ban treaty as a major instrument in the field of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation in all its aspects. We reiterated that the cessation of all nuclear-weapon test explosions and all other nuclear explosions, by constraining the development and qualitative improvement of nuclear weapons and ending the development of advanced new types of nuclear weapons, constitutes an effective measure of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation in all its aspects and thus a meaningful step in the realization of a systematic process to achieve nuclear disarmament. We therefore renewed our commitment to work for universal ratification of the Treaty, and its early entry into force as provided for in article XIV.

 

3. We reviewed the overall progress made since the opening for signature of the Treaty and, in particular, the progress made after the Conference held in Vienna from 6 to 8 October 1999. We noted with appreciation the overwhelming support for the Treaty that has been expressed: the United Nations General Assembly and other multilateral organs have called for signatures and ratifications of the Treaty as soon as possible and have urged all States to remain seized of the issue at the highest political level. We highlighted the importance of the Treaty and its entry into force for the practical steps for systematic and progressive efforts towards nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, which were identified in 2000 at international forums dealing with nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation. We believe that the cessation of all nuclear-weapon test explosions or any other nuclear explosions will contribute to the accomplishment of those efforts.

 

4. In accordance with the provisions of article XIV of the Treaty, we examined the extent to which the requirement set out in paragraph 1 had been met and decided by consensus what measures consistent with international law may be undertaken to accelerate the ratification process in order to facilitate the early entry into force of the Treaty.  

 

5. Since the Treaty was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly and opened for signature five years ago, progress has been made in the ratification process. As of today, 162 States have signed and 87 States have deposited their instruments of ratification, an increase of over 70 per cent compared with the number of ratifications at the time of the Conference held in 1999. Of the 44 States listed in Annex 2 to the Treaty whose ratification is required for the entry into force of the Treaty, 41 have signed, and of these, 31 have also ratified the Treaty. A list of those States is provided in the appendix. Progress in ratification has been sustained. We welcomed this as evidence of the strong determination of States not to carry out any nuclear-weapon test explosion or any other nuclear explosion, and to prohibit and prevent any such nuclear explosion at any place under their jurisdiction or control.  

 

6. Despite the progress made and our strong support for the Treaty, we noted with concern that it has not entered into force five years after its opening for signature. We therefore stressed our determination to strengthen efforts aimed at promoting its entry into force at the earliest possible date in accordance with the provisions of the Treaty.  

 

7. After the opening for signature of the CTBT, nuclear explosions were carried out. The countries concerned subsequently declared that they would not conduct further nuclear explosions and indicated their willingness not to delay the entry into force of the Treaty.  

 

8. In the light of the CTBT and bearing in mind its purpose and objectives, we affirm that the conduct of nuclear-weapon test explosions or any other nuclear explosion constitutes a serious threat to global efforts towards nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation.  

 

9. We call upon all States to maintain a moratorium on nuclear-weapon test explosions or any other nuclear explosions and underline the importance of signature and ratification of the Treaty.  

 

10. We noted with satisfaction the report of the Executive Secretary of the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) to the Conference on progress made by the Preparatory Commission and its Provisional Technical Secretariat since November 1996 in fulfilment of the requirement to take all necessary measures to ensure the effective establishment of the future CTBTO.  

 

11. In this connection, we welcomed the momentum which has been developed by the Preparatory Commission and its Provisional Technical Secretariat across the Major Programmes of the Commission, as identified by the Executive Secretary in his report. We also welcomed the progress in building the global infrastructure for Treaty verification, including the International Monitoring System, with a view to ensuring that the verification regime shall be capable of meeting the verification requirements of the Treaty at entry into force. We further welcomed the conclusion of a significant number of related agreements and arrangements with States and with international organizations.

 

12. Convinced of the importance of achieving universal adherence to the Treaty, welcoming the ratifications of all the States that have done so since the 1999 Conference, and stressing in particular the steps required to achieve its early entry into force, as provided for in article XIV of the Treaty, we:  

 

(a) Call upon all States that have not yet signed the Treaty to sign and ratify it as soon as possible and to refrain from acts which would defeat its object and purpose in the meanwhile;  

 

(b) Call upon all States that have signed but not yet ratified the Treaty, in particular those whose ratification is needed for its entry into force, to accelerate their ratification processes with a view to early successful conclusion;  

 

(c) Recall the fact that two States out of three whose ratifications are needed for the Treaty’s entry into force but which have not yet signed it have expressed their willingness not to delay the entry into force of the Treaty, and call upon them to sign and ratify it as soon as possible;  

 

(d) Note the fact that one State out of three whose ratifications are needed for the Treaty’s entry into force but which have not yet signed it has not expressed its intention towards the Treaty, and call upon this State to sign and ratify it as soon as possible so as to facilitate the entry into force of the Treaty;  

 

(e) Note the ratification by three nuclear weapon States and call upon the remaining two to accelerate their ratification processes with a view to early successful conclusion;  

 

(f) In pursuit of the early entry into force of the Treaty, undertake ourselves to use all avenues open to us in conformity with international law, to encourage further signature and ratification of the Treaty; and urge all States to sustain the momentum generated by this Conference by continuing to remain seized of the issue at the highest political level;  

 

(g) Agree that ratifying States will select one of their number to promote cooperation to facilitate the early entry into force of the Treaty, through informal consultations with all interested countries; and encourage bilateral, regional and multilateral initiatives aimed at promoting further signatures and ratification;  

 

(h) Urge all States to share legal and technical information and advice in order to facilitate the processes of signature, ratification and implementation by the States concerned, and upon their request. We encourage the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization and the Secretary-General of the United Nations to continue supporting actively these efforts consistent with their respective mandates;  

 

(i) Call upon the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization to continue its international cooperation activities to promote understanding of the Treaty, including by demonstrating the benefits of the application of verification technologies for peaceful purposes in accordance with the provisions of the Treaty, in order to further encourage signature and ratification of the Treaty;   

 

(j) Reiterate the appeal to all relevant sectors of civil society to raise awareness of and support for the objectives of the Treaty, as well as its early entry into force as provided for in article XIV of the Treaty.  

 

13. We reaffirm our commitment to the Treaty’s basic obligations and our undertaking to refrain from acts which would defeat the object and purpose of the Treaty pending its entry into force.

 

14. We remain steadfast in our commitment to pursue the efforts to ensure that the Treaty’s verification regime shall be capable of meeting the verification requirements of the Treaty at entry into force, in accordance with the provisions of article IV of the Treaty. In this context, we will continue to provide the support required to enable the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization to complete its tasks in the most efficient and cost-effective way.

 

15. The Conference addressed the issue of possible future conferences, expressed the determination of its participants to continue working towards entry into force of the Treaty and took note of the provisions contained in paragraph 3 of article XIV of the Treaty.

 

Appendix to the Final Declaration of the Conference on Facilitating the Entry into Force of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, New York, 2001 List of States

 

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

 

B. The following 44 States, whose ratification is required for the entry into force of the Treaty in accordance with article XIV, are listed in Annex 2 to the Treaty Algeria Egypt Poland Argentina Finland Republic of Korea Australia France Romania Austria Germany Russian Federation Bangladesh Hungary Slovakia Belgium India South Africa Brazil Indonesia Spain Bulgaria Iran (Islamic Republic of) Sweden Canada Israel Switzerland Chile Italy Turkey China Japan Ukraine Colombia Mexico United Kingdom of Democratic People’s Netherlands Great Britain and Republic of Korea Norway Northern Ireland Democratic Republic Pakistan United States of America of the Congo Peru Viet Nam  

 

1. States listed in Annex 2 to the Treaty which have signed and ratified the Treaty Argentina Germany Russian Federation Australia Hungary Slovakia Austria Italy South Africa Bangladesh Japan Spain Belgium Mexico Sweden Brazil Netherlands Switzerland Bulgaria Norway Turkey Canada Peru Ukraine Chile Poland United Kingdom of Finland Republic of Korea Great Britain and France Romania Northern Ireland  

 

2. States listed in Annex 2 to the Treaty which have signed but not ratified the Treaty Algeria Egypt United States of America China Indonesia Viet Nam Colombia Iran (Islamic Republic of) Democratic Republic Israel of the Congo  

 

3. States listed in Annex 2 to the Treaty which have not signed the Treaty Democratic People’s India Pakistan Republic of Korea

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