Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization
59th Preparatory Commission Meeting
Australian National Statement
Delivered by Ms Anne Craig, First Secretary
21 November 2022
Chair
Thank you for your dedication and skilled chairing of this Commission throughout the year. Please be assured of Australia’s full support and cooperation during this session of the Commission.
I wish also to thank the Provisional Technical Secretariat for their ongoing and crucial support for the work of the policy-making organs.
Chair
The Executive Secretary has made momentous strides to bring our Treaty closer to entry into force and universalisation.
In the short time since the June session of this Commission, there have been four further ratifications of the Treaty, bringing the number of new ratifications this year to six. We welcome each new ratifying State – Samoa, Equatorial Guinea, Dominica, Timor Leste, the Gambia and Tuvulu– and thank them for their commitment to the international norm against nuclear weapons testing.
We commend the Executive Secretary on this outstanding outcome and urge all States that have not yet done so to sign and ratify the Treaty without further delay.
Chair
While we celebrate the success of the Treaty’s new members, we cannot ignore that one State Signatory, the Russian Federation, continues to undermine peace and security as it wages its illegal, unjustified and unprovoked war against the people of Ukraine.
We call on Russia to withdraw immediately its forces from Ukraine’s internationally recognised territory, consistent with the legally binding decision of the International Court of Justice. We urge Russia to refrain from any actions that could jeopardise the integrity of the International Monitoring System or impact the verification regime.
Chair
Australia is gravely concerned at the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea ongoing development of its illegal and destabilising nuclear and ballistic missile programs and evidence indicating that the DPRK may be ready to resume nuclear testing.
We urge the DPRK to comply fully with all UN Security Council resolutions which require it to abandon its nuclear, other weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missiles programs in a complete, verifiable and irreversible manner. Signing and ratifying the CTBT should be of utmost priority.
Chair
The 10th Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons allowed us to take stock of collective efforts towards non-proliferation. Strong reaffirmation from States party on the value of the CTBT demonstrated the success the Treaty has already achieved in delivering on its objectives.
Chair
Australia maintains its unwavering commitment to the CTBT and was pleased to co-Chair with Japan the tenth meeting of the Friends of the CTBT, during UN High Level Week in New York.
Convened biennially by Australia, Canada, Finland, Germany, Japan and the Netherlands, and held this year at Leader level, the meeting served to underline the importance of the Treaty to the global nuclear non-proliferation architecture and reinforces our collective commitment to the Treaty’s entry into force.
We are pleased also, together with Mexico and New Zealand, to once again lead co-sponsorship of the annual UNGA Resolution on Cooperation between the United Nations and the CTBTO Preparatory Commission, which reaffirms the international community’s goals of entering the CTBT into force and fostering a world free from nuclear weapons.
Chair
Australia fully supports the budget proposals and recommendations from the Advisory and Working Groups that have been put forward for this Commission’s consideration, and we welcome the Provisional Technical Secretariat’s work to produce the draft decision on the funding mechanism for the 2025 Integrated Field Exercise.
We welcome the progress on developing guidelines for holding non-scheduled sessions of the Commission, which should allow States Signatory to convene and respond to issues as necessary.
Australia stands ready to join consensus on appointments and elections during this session which will ensure we can continue the CTBTO’s important work into 2023.
Thank you.