Trinidad and Tobago signs Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty

Vienna, Austria, 8 October 2009 - Trinidad and Tobago signed the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) today. The signing ceremony took place at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.

Overall, the Treaty enjoys near-universality with 182 States now having signed and 151 of them having ratified it.

Cuba and Dominica are the only remaining Latin American and Caribbean States that have not yet signed the Treaty. Among the regionīs 33 States, 28 have already ratified the Treaty. The last State to do so was Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, which ratified the Treaty on 23 September 2009.

Trinidad and Tobago participated in the high-level Conference to promote the entry into force of the CTBT, which took place in New York in September 2009. The CTBT's entry into force was also supported at the recent United Nations Security Council summit meeting on nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament, which was convened at the Heads of State level.

The CTBT bans all nuclear explosions. The Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) is building a verification regime to monitor the planet for compliance with the Treaty. When complete, 337 facilities worldwide will monitor underground, the oceans and the atmosphere for any sign of a nuclear explosion. To date, close to 250 facilities have been certified and send data to the International Data Centre at the CTBTO in Vienna, Austria.

For further information on the CTBTO, please see www.ctbto.org – your resource on nuclear testing, or contact:

Annika Thunborg, Chief, Public Information
T +43 1 26030-6375
+43 699 1459-6375
F +43 1 26030-5823
E annika.thunborg@ctbto.org
I www.ctbto.org