What is the Full form of CTBT?
The full form of CTBT is the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban-Treaty. CTBT is a multilateral agreement prohibiting all types of nuclear testing for any military or civil atomic explosions. The treaty was adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations on September 10, 1996, and released for signature on September 24, 1996. As of September 2022, one hundred seventy-six states have ratified the treaty. It has not yet been signed by India, North Korea and Pakistan.
A brief history of CTBT
- The movement to control the use of nuclear weapons started in 1945.
- Partial Test Ban Treaty (PTBT), the precursor of CTBT, was signed on 5 August 1963.
- The negotiations on a CTBT began in January 1994, by the Conference on Disarmament (CD).
- On 10 September 1996, CTBT was adopted by more than a two-thirds majority in UNGA.
- It will only come into effect once all specified nations ratify it.
Difference between ratifying and signing of CTBT
| Signing CTBT | Ratifying CTBT |
| When a nation signs the treaty, this means the country recognises the treaty and, therefore, will refuse to act against the treaty’s objectives. | When a country ratifies the treaty, it is formally accepted to make it a legally binding contract for the nation’s government. |
| It is signed by a country’s senior government officials. | The treaty is accepted in this phase by the nation’s legislature in the parliament. |
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