UN walk marks 30 years of stalled nuclear test ban treaty
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UN officials and diplomats walked 829 steps in Vienna on August 26 to mark the 30th anniversary of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty opening for signature. The treaty, opened on September 24, 1996, has 188 signatories and 179 ratifications but still lacks nine required ratifications from Annex 2 states. Kazakhstan initiated the UN International Day against Nuclear Tests on August 29, commemorating the 1991 closure of the Semipalatinsk test site.
Key Facts
- The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty has 188 signatories and 179 ratifications, but entry into force requires ratification by all 44 Annex 2 states, of which nine have not ratified.
- The treaty was opened for signature on September 24, 1996, and prohibits all nuclear test explosions, whether military or civilian, underground, underwater, or in the atmosphere.
- The first Soviet nuclear test took place on August 29, 1949, at the Semipalatinsk test site, and the site was closed exactly 42 years later on August 29, 1991.
- The UN General Assembly unanimously proclaimed August 29 as the International Day against Nuclear Tests on December 2, 2009, on Kazakhstan's initiative.
- A total of 456 nuclear tests were conducted at the Semipalatinsk test site over four decades, according to official materials from Kazakhstan, the UN, and the IAEA.
Vienna Commemoration
The symbolic walk took place on August 26 at the UN Office in Vienna, organized by CTBTO Executive Secretary Robert Floyd, Kazakhstan's Permanent Representative Mukhtar Tleuberdi, and Rebecca Jovin, head of the Vienna office of the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs. The 829 steps encode the date 08.29, referring to August 29, the day of the first Soviet nuclear test in 1949 and the closure of the Semipalatinsk test site in 1991. The event was reported by the Permanent Mission of Kazakhstan to the International Organizations in Vienna.
Treaty Status
The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty was opened for signature on September 24, 1996, and 30 years later it has still not entered into force. The treaty prohibits any nuclear test explosion, whether military or civilian, underground, underwater, or in the atmosphere. According to CTBTO data, 188 states have signed the treaty and 179 have ratified it, but entry into force requires ratification by all 44 states listed in Annex 2. Nine ratifications are still missing, including from China, North Korea, Egypt, India, Iran, Israel, Pakistan, Russia, and the United States.
Kazakhstan's Role
On December 2, 2009, the UN General Assembly unanimously proclaimed August 29 as the International Day against Nuclear Tests, with Kazakhstan as the initiator of the resolution. The date was chosen to commemorate the closure of the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site on August 29, 1991, according to the UN's official page for the International Day. The first International Day against Nuclear Tests was observed in 2010.
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UN walk marks 30 years of stalled nuclear test ban treaty
