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Excerpted from the Inventory of International Organizations
and Regimes 2001 published by the CNS International Organizations and Nonproliferation
Project. A complete PDF copy of the 2000 edition of the Inventory is available in the Publications section of the NTI website.
Treaty Banning Nuclear Weapon Tests in the Atmosphere, In Outer Space and Under
Water (Partial Test Ban Treaty - PTBT)
Opened for signature: 5 August 1963.
Entered into force: 10 October 1963.
The Treaty is of unlimited duration.
Number of Parties: 131 states.
Depositories: Russia, UK and U.S..
Treaty obligations: to prohibit, prevent, and abstain
from carrying out nuclear weapons tests or any other nuclear explosions in the
atmosphere, in outer space, under water, or in any other environment if such
explosion causes radioactive debris to be present outside the territorial limits
of the state which conducts an explosion; to refrain from causing, encouraging,
or in any way participating in, the carrying out of any nuclear weapon test
explosion, or any other nuclear explosion, anywhere which would take place in
any of the above-described environments.
The PTBT does not provide for international verification; however, it is
understood that each party may do so by its national technical means.
Proposal to amend the PTBT: At the request of a number of
states party, an Amendment Conference was held in New York 7-18 January 1991, to
consider an amendment that would convert the PTBT into a comprehensive test-ban
treaty, but ended in deadlock.
On 10 August 1993 a special meeting of the states parties to the PTBT was
held. Broad agreement was found for pursuing work on a CTBT in the Amendment
Conference and the CD "in a mutually supportive and mutually complimentary
manner" for holding another special meeting early in 1994; and for
promoting universality of a CTBT, by having the President of the Amendment
Conference liaise with the CD and the five NWS.
The 1994 regular session of the UNGA noted that the CD had initiated
the multilateral negotiation of a universal and effectively verifiable CTBT. It
took note of the intention of the President of the Amendment Conference to
convene, after appropriate consultations, and in the light of the work carried
out by the CD, another special meeting of the states party to the PTBT, to
review developments and assess the situation regarding a CTBT and to examine the
feasibility of resuming the work of the Amendment Conference.
During the 1995 session a resolution was passed which urged the
conclusion of the comprehensive nuclear test-ban treaty and urged all states not
already doing so to adhere to the PTBT (50/64).
With the signing of the CTBT in September 1996, the PTBT has become
redundant. However, should a PTBT party withdraw from the CTBT, or not sign the
CTBT, it would still be bound by the provisions of the PTBT.
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