CTBTO Executive Secretary attends Summit of Organisation internationale de la Francophonie in Quebec City, Canada
The Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF) held its XII summit meeting at Québec City, Canada, from 17 to 19 October 2008.
The Executive Secretary of the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBTO), Tibor Tóth, was invited to attend the summit as a guest.
On the margins of the OIF summit meeting, Tóth held bilateral talks with a number of delegations, in which the promotion of the early entry into force of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) and its adherence among OIF Member States were discussed.
From left to right: M. Harper, Prime Minister of Canada, M. Diouf, Secretary General of the OIF, M. Fillon, Prime Minister of France. Courtesy of the Secrétariat d'organisation du XIIe Sommet de la Francophonie
Adherence to CTBT above average in OIF Member States
The level of signatures and ratifications of the 50 OIF Member States, two Associate States and 13 Observer States (see list here) is above average. 97% of these States have signed the CTBT (all except Dominica and Mauritius) and 78% have also ratified.
Of the 44 States that have to sign and ratify the Treaty before it can enter into force (the so-called Annex-2 States according to the relevant annex of the Treaty), 14 are from the group of OIF Member States, associate states or observer states, of which all but Egypt have ratified.
The second OIF summit for the CTBTO's Executive Secretary
It was the second time for the CTBTO Executive Secretary to participate in an OIF summit meeting after the XI OIF summit meeting in Bucharest, Romania, in 2006.
CTBTO Executive Secretary Tibor Tóth and the Vice-President of Ghana, Alhaji Aliu Mahama