Ban Ki-moon to Address CTBTO 15 Year Celebrations in Vienna

Media Advisory

Vienna, 14 February 2012

The Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) cordially invites the media to its 15th anniversary celebrations on 17 February 2012 at the Vienna International Centre (United Nations) in Vienna, Austria.

The CTBTO is the organization dedicated to making the planet safer by ending all nuclear testing forever. Much has been accomplished: since the adoption of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) in 1996, nuclear testing has virtually screeched to a halt. 182 countries have signed the Treaty to date. The CTBTO’s global verification regime with over 300 sensors to detect any nuclear explosion, anywhere on the planet, is nearing completion. The data from the sensors can also help tsunami warning centres issue speedy alerts and provide information about the dispersal of radioactivity worldwide.

The United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, the Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt, Austrian State Secretary for Foreign Affairs Wolfgang Waldner and CTBTO Executive Secretary Tibor Tóth will address the ceremony.

The largest CTBTO exhibition to date will be displayed at the event. The occasion also marks the opening of the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs’ Vienna-base. A large children’s choir from the American International School in Vienna will perform during the ceremony.

Special media events

• 08:25 Photo Op with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt, Austrian State Secretary for Foreign Affairs Wolfgang Waldner and CTBTO Executive Secretary Tibor Tóth
• 09:05 Press Conference

Time and venue: Friday 17 February 2012 from 08:15 to 09:30 at the Rotunda (C-Building) of the Vienna International Centre. Arrival and set up of equipment by 08:10. Access to the venue will be blocked after 08:15 for security reasons.

Accreditation: Pre-registration by all journalists including those already accredited to the VIC is required. Media representatives should indicate the equipment they intend to bring (it is recommended to carry equipment by hand through Gate 1). Contact: Veronika Crowe-Mayerhofer, UN Information Service, Email: press@unvienna.org, Tel: (+43-1) 26060-3342. Please register by 4 p.m. on Wednesday 15 February 2012.

Pooling: We will provide loosely-cut broadcast quality video and audio material of the event for download, as well as photos, speeches and transcripts of the press conference in the CTBTO Newsroom.

Background on the CTBT
The CTBT bans all nuclear explosions by everyone, everywhere: on the Earth’s surface, in the atmosphere, underwater and underground. 182 countries have signed the Treaty, of which 157 have also ratified it. In order to become legally effective, the CTBT still needs to be ratified by China, Egypt, India, Israel, Iran, North Korea, Pakistan and the United States.

ENDS