Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization
60th Preparatory Commission Meeting
Australian National Statement
Delivered by Ms Anne Craig, First Secretary
12 June 2023
Chair,
Australia warmly welcomes you Ambassador Laggner to the role of Chair of this Preparatory Commission and assures you of our full support throughout your tenure.
We extend our thanks to the Provisional Technical Secretariat for their ongoing support for the work of the policy-making organs and their timely preparation of documents for this meeting.
Australia also thanks the Executive Secretary for his opening statement and report on verification related activities for this period.
We warmly welcome the Solomon Islands as the most recent ratifying state and are particularly pleased to have another member from the Pacific join the Treaty.
We also welcome advice of Sri Lanka’s progression of domestic processes towards Treaty ratification and look forward to welcoming its formal ratification soon.
Chair,
While states continue to affirm their commitment to international peace and security, one state – the Russian Federation – has continued its gross violation of international law, through its illegal, unjustified and unprovoked war of aggression against the people of Ukraine.
Australia condemns Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and reiterates our call for Russia to immediately withdraw its forces from Ukrainian territory and to refrain from any actions that could impact the integrity of the International Monitoring System.
We reiterate our full support for Ukraine’s independence and territorial integrity and stand firm with the government and people of Ukraine.
Chair,
Australia remains gravely concerned by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s ongoing development of its illegal and destabilising nuclear and ballistic missile programs. The DPRK’s reckless conduct threatens regional stability and security.
We urge the DPRK to comply fully with UN Security Council resolutions requiring it to abandon its nuclear and ballistic missile programs in a complete, verifiable and irreversible manner. Signing and ratifying the CTBT should be of utmost priority.
Chair,
Australia looks forward to participating in next week’s Science and Technology Conference. The bringing together of such a vast number of experts from diverse ranges of fields provides a critical opportunity to foster innovation and enhance the science and technology that underpins the CTBTO’s work.
Australia welcomes the appointment of Norway and Panama as Co-Presidents designate of this year’s Article XIV Conference and assures them of our support. We thank outgoing Co-Presidents Italy and South Africa for their outstanding efforts over the past two years.
We also thank Japan for its initiative to host a CTBT Regional Conference for States in the Indo-Pacific region in early July to further advance the objectives of the Treaty in our region.
Australia welcomed the May 2023 G7 Leaders’ Hiroshima Vision on Nuclear Disarmament, and its recognition of the urgency to bring the CTBT into force and commitments to programs, especially among youth in promoting disarmament.
We also look forward to further opportunities to reaffirm the value and importance of the CTBT including during the 11th Review cycle for the Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) which will commence in Vienna in late July.
Chair,
Australia is committed to supporting the CTBT’s verification regime and efforts to ensure that it is ready to meet the requirements of the Treaty at entry into force. We were pleased to participate in the 24th OSI Regional Introductory Course held in Thailand in January 2023. We thank the government of Thailand for hosting this event.
OSI regional workshops play an essential role in operational readiness of the organisation, and we look forward to taking part in further upcoming OSI-related work in the leadup to the Integrated Field Exercise in 2025 and look forward also to receiving further information on this important and key event.
Chair,
Australia thanks the Chairs of Working Groups A and B, and the Chair of the Advisory Group for their leadership and for the reports provided to this Commission and takes note of the recommendations contained therein.
We thank also the PTS for its work on the initial draft Programme and Budget Proposals for the next biennium. We welcome the development of a revised draft for adoption by this Commission later this year to ensure the effective and efficient functioning of the organisation and hope we can find early consensus.
We note that the current term of the External Auditor is due to conclude with the audit of the 2023 financial statements of the Commission. We call on you Chair to initiate an open and transparent selection procedure to ensure the timely appointment of an External Auditor by the Commission for the next audit period.
Thank you.