Establishment

• The Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO Preparatory Commission) was established on 19 November 1996 by a Resolution adopted by the Meeting of States Signatories at the United Nations in New York.

• The Preparatory Commission was established to prepare for the Treaty's entry into force. This will occur 180 days after the Treaty has been ratified by the 44 States listed in its Annex 2. Following the first conference of the States Parties to the CTBT, the Preparatory Commission will cease to exist and the CTBTO will be established.

Status

• The Preparatory Commission is a cost-effective, results-oriented international organization financed by the CTBT States Signatories.

• It has a strong technical focus, with some 80 per cent of its budget dedicated to the establishment of the global verification regime.

• In June 2000, a relationship agreement between the United Nations and the Preparatory Commission was signed and entered into force.

Composition

• The Preparatory Commission consists of the States Signatories. After signing the CTBT, a State automatically becomes a member of the Commission.

• The Preparatory Commission consists of two organs: a plenary body composed of all the States Signatories (also know as the Preparatory Commission), and the Provisional Technical Secretariat (PTS).

• The PTS started its work in Vienna on 17 March 1997 under its Executive Secretary, Wolfgang Hoffmann.

• Ambassador R.I. Rhousdy Soeriaatmadja, Permanent Representative of Indonesia, is the Chairperson of the Preparatory Commission for the second half of 2001.

• Vice-Chairpersons for the same period are Nigeria (Africa), Russian Federation (Eastern Europe), Chile (Latin America and the Caribbean), Italy (North America and Western Europe) and Japan (South-East Asia, the Pacific and the Far East).

• Only nationals of States Signatories may serve in the Provisional Technical Secretariat.

Activities

• The activities of the Preparatory Commission are:

  1. Establishment of a global verification regime to monitor compliance with the comprehensive ban on explosive nuclear testing.

  2. Promotion of Treaty signature and ratification for early entry into force.

Financial support

• States Signatories participate actively in the work of the policy-making organs of the Preparatory Commission, as well as providing the necessary financial backing.

• Payment of assessed contributions is an important barometer to gauge this commitment and support. The collection rate for 2001 stands as at 29 June at 74,8 percent, which is an exceptionally high figure for an international organization.

• The budget for 2001 is US$83,499,500.