International Day against Nuclear Tests

Robert Floyd, Executive Secretary of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) on the vital role of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) in advancing the NPT's (Eleventh Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons) non-proliferation and disarmament objectives. Watch the press Conference with Mr Robert Floyd, Executive Secretary of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) on the vital role of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) in advancing the NPT's non-proliferation and disarmament objectives! Press Conferences

The Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) relies on innovation to enhance the capabilities of the Treaty's verification regime as well as to help move the Treaty closer to universalization and entry into force. As the eighth event in the CTBT: Science and Technology Conference series, SnT2025 will bring together well over 1500 scientists, technologists, academics, students, and delegates from the CTBTO's policy making organs Watch the CTBT: Science and Technology Conference 2025 (SnT205)! Meetings & Events

Before the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-ban Treaty (CTBT) was opened for signature, more than 2,000 nuclear test explosions had been conducted worldwide. Since 1996, that number has fallen to fewer than a dozen. This dramatic decline is no accident. It reflects the strength of the norm created by our Treaty and the value that the international community places on preventing any return to testing . The Treaty is already a proven success. It has brought almost all nuclear testing to an end, placing powerful constraints on the development of new nuclear weapons and the advancement of existing designs , while fostering a strong international expectation that testing belongs in the past . Entry into force will build upon this, giving us the full range of verification measures , including on-site inspections , to further reinforce what has already been achieved.

Nearly three decades ago, the world took decisive steps to bring nuclear test explosions to an end . Those actions changed the course of history. Where once the ground shook with alarming regularity, today such events are rare, a testament to the strength of our collective resolve. On August 29th , the International Day against Nuclear Tests (IDANT), we  reaffirm our commitment to placing non-proliferation and disarmament first , and to ensuring that no person ever again lives in the shadow of a nuclear explosion. We will never forget standing at ground zero in Semipalatinsk, Kazakhstan – a site scarred by more than 450 nuclear tests – the closure of which we also commemorate on this day. We felt the full weight of that history, a sobering reminder of what the international community must never allow to happen again. At the height of the cold war, such tests occurred almost weekly. They were not only a grave risk to global peace and security but also had a lasting impact on publ...