Media Advisory - Article XIV Conference to take place during 78th UN General Assembly (22 September 2023)

A ministerial-level conference is scheduled to open on 22 September to promote the entry into force of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT). This Treaty is designed to prohibit all nuclear weapon test explosions.

The Conference will be chaired by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Norway, Anniken Huitfeldt, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Panama, Janaina Tewaney Mencomo, and CTBTO Executive Secretary Robert Floyd will deliver an address.

Additional details about the event, more commonly known as the “Article XIV Conference”, can be found here.

Time & Venue: Friday, 22 September 2023, 10:00 – 18:00 (EST)

Location: UN Headquarters, New York, Conference Room 4 (Conference Building)

Schedule: see agenda [PDF].

Photo op at the opening of the conference.

The event will be streamed live on UN Web TV.

CTBTO image packages for download can be found here and on our Flickr page.

B-roll can be found here.

For interviews with CTBTO Executive Secretary Robert Floyd, please contact: [email protected]

Media representatives wishing to cover the conference are requested to register with the CTBTO Public Information Section by sending an email to [email protected]. Media representatives who are not accredited to the United Nations in New York must apply for media accreditation by 1 September 2023 here. Please note that media personnel will be limited to observing the conference from the designated booths or the mezzanine floor (accessible via the 1st floor entrance).

The CTBT bans all nuclear test explosions everywhere, by everyone, and for all time. Adherence to the Treaty is nearly universal, with 186 State Signatories and 178 ratifying states. However, to enter into force, the Treaty must be ratified by all 44 States listed in its Annex 2, for which eight ratifications are still required.

The CTBTO has established an International Monitoring System (IMS) to ensure that no nuclear explosion goes undetected. Currently, 305 certified facilities – of a total of 337 when complete – are operating around the world. The data collected by the IMS serves multiple purposes, including disaster mitigation, such as earthquake monitoring and tsunami warning. Additionally, it supports research in various fields, ranging from whale migration to climate change studies to predicting monsoon rains.

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Ms La Neice Collins
Senior Public Information Officer
T: +43 1 26030 6540
M: +43 699 1459 6540
[email protected]

Mr José Rosemberg
Senior Liaison Officer
CTBTO New York Office
United Nations Headquarters
Email: [email protected]