Inside CTBTO’s mission: Vienna seminar engages diplomats on advancing a nuclear test-free world

On 4 November 2024, more than 60 diplomats from across the globe gathered at the Vienna International Centre to explore the critical work of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO). This seminar, the second in an ongoing series, offered participants an inside look into CTBTO’s mission to monitor and ban nuclear testing worldwide. 

Executive Secretary Robert Floyd yd opened the event, describing the Treaty as a “success built on diplomacy and science.” He highlighted the “remarkable reduction in nuclear tests: over 2,000 conducted before the Treaty opened for signature in 1996, compared to fewer than a dozen since,” underscoring the Organization’s transformative impact. 

The day featured a series of engaging presentations by CTBTO Division Directors, covering the Treaty’s legal framework, the Organization’s funding model, and the maintenance of its one-of-a-kind global monitoring network. In a Human Resources session, diplomats were encouraged to share CTBTO’s career portal within their networks, reflecting the Organization’s commitment to attracting diverse talent from around the world.  

Technical briefings from the International Monitoring System (IMS), International Data Centre (IDC), and On-Site Inspection (OSI) Divisions provided diplomats with a deeper understanding of CTBTO’s monitoring technologies - designed to detect any nuclear explosion - as well as the civil and scientific applications of the data gathered by this unique system. 

All sessions were accessible with real-time translations into all UN official languages, including one delivered in Spanish to reflect CTBTO’s dedication to multilingualism. 

The day continued with tours of the Operations Centre - a central hub filled with monitoring screens - and various IMS station models at the VIC. Diplomats observed the technology in action, including outdoor infrasound and seismic stations, along with a radionuclide station on the rooftop. 

Closing the event, Floyd reaffirmed CTBTO’s vision: “A world without nuclear testing is a world we all aspire to.”