CTBT: Launch of Joint Ministerial Statement
(Overview and Evaluation)

On September 14, Japan, in cooperation with Australia and the Netherlands, hosted a "Friends of the CTBT" Foreign Ministers' Meeting at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. The foreign ministers released a joint ministerial statement calling for all states to sign and ratify the CTBT, or the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, as soon as possible. Foreign Minister Kawaguchi represented Japan and attended the Meeting.

1. The "Friends of the CTBT" Foreign Ministers' Meeting

(1) The meeting was organized jointly by Japan, Australia, and the Netherlands for the purpose of maintaining and strengthening momentum toward the entry into force of the CTBT, in this year, when Conference on Facilitating the Entry into Force of the CTBT is not scheduled.

(2) The meeting was attended by the foreign ministers of the following 10 nations: Australia, Hungary, Japan, Jordan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Peru, the Republic of Korea, South Africa, and Turkey. Foreign ministers from 8 other nations--Canada, Chile, United Kingdom, France, Nigeria, the Philippines, Russia, and Sweden--were unable to attend the meeting in person, but joined the said 10 nations to deliver the Joint Ministerial Statement. (Note: The "Friends of the CTBT" refers to the 18 nations that delivered the Joint Ministerial Statement.)

2. Outlines of the Meeting and the Joint Ministerial Statement

(1) The Foreign Ministers' Meeting:

The meeting began with an opening statement by Foreign Minister Kawaguchi, who stressed the need for nations to share a common understanding of the vision of the CTBT and to cooperate on activities promoting the entry into force of the treaty and building the International Monitoring System. This was followed by statements from the other attending foreign ministers on the importance of endeavors toward bringing the treaty into force. The Joint Ministerial Statement on the CTBT was delivered after the meeting.

(2) The Joint Ministerial Statement:

  1. The statement calls for all states that have not yet signed and ratified the CTBT--in particular those whose ratification is needed for its entry into force--to do so as soon as possible.
  2. The statement calls upon all states to continue a moratorium on nuclear weapon test explosions or any other nuclear explosions.
  3. The statement calls for international cooperation in building the verification system with a view to not only improving the verification capability of the system, but bringing scientific and civil benefits to developing countries as well.
  4. The statement invites foreign ministers of other states to join in the effort to bring the CTBT into force.

3. Evaluation of the Meeting and the Statement

(1) The foreign ministers' meeting and resulting statement succeeded in showing the strong political commitment of the "Friends of the CTBT" to urge states that have yet to sign and ratify the CTBT, especially those whose ratification is required for the treaty to enter into force, to do so.

(2) The gathering served to maintain and strengthen momentum toward the entry into force of the CTBT this year and helped this process moving toward the Conference on Facilitating the Entry into Force of the CTBT expected to take place next year.

(3) The meeting and the statement created a foundation for nations to share a common understanding of the vision of the CTBT and to cooperate on activities promoting the entry into force of the treaty and building the International Monitoring System.

Joint Ministerial Statement


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