Why in news?
UN chief Antonio Guterres appealed to eight nations, including India and the US, to ratify the Comprehensive
Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT).
What is CTBT?
• It is a multilateral treaty banning all nuclear explosions for both military and civilian purposes.
• It was negotiated at the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva and adopted by the United Nations General
Assembly. It was opened for signature on 24 September 1996.
• The CTBT with its 183 signatories and 163 ratifications is one of the most widely supported arms-control treaties.
• It can only enter into force after it is ratified by eight countries with nuclear technology capacity, namely China, Egypt, India, Iran, Israel, North Korea, Pakistan and the United States.
• Only North Korea, has broken the norms, which had led to condemnation from the Security Council and repeated imposition of sanctions.
• The Treaty establishes a CTBT Organization (CTBTO), located in Vienna, to ensure the implementation of its provisions, including provisions for international verification measures.
How is it important?
• CTBT has an essential role within the nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation regime.
• By constraining the development and qualitative improvement of nuclear weapons, the treaty puts a brake on the nuclear arms race and serves as a barrier against States that might seek to develop, manufacture and acquire nuclear weapons in violation of their non-proliferation commitments.
• Nuclear testing has a catastrophic impact on the environment, human health, food security and economic development. When the Treaty enters into force it provides a legally binding norm against nuclear testing.
India’s Stand on CTBT
India did not support the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty in 1996 and still does not due to following reasons:
• Complete Nuclear Disarmament: India’s principled opposition drew from its emphasis on universal and complete nuclear disarmament in a time-bound manner. CTBT does not address complete disarmament.
• Discriminatory in Nature: UNSC permanent members have little marginal utility in testing further. They have already conducted nuclear tests and possess nuclear weapons. For India, CTBT would only act as hindrance for conducting nuclear test and developing their technology.
• Entry into force clause: Another major concern was Article XIV, the entry-into-force (EIF) clause, which India considered a violation of its right to voluntarily withhold participation in an international treaty. The treaty initially made ratification by states that were to be a part of the CTBT’s International Monitoring System (IMS) mandatory for the treaty’s EIF. Because of this, India withdrew its participation from the IMS.
• Technological differences: There is the possibility that those already possessing nuclear weapons can upgrade their arsenals through sub-critical and laboratory simulated testing which is not banned under CTBT.
• Security threat: India faces uncertain dangers from Pakistan, and China, which had conducted nuclear tests even while the CTBT was being negotiated. As party to the CTBT, India would be waiving the possibility of testing and developing its own nuclear weapons whereas China would be able to retain its arsenal as per the NPT. Pakistan has not signed this treaty whereas China has not ratified till now.
21 www.visionias.in ©Vision IAS
India’s stand on other treaties
• India had played an important role in building international momentum for the 1963 Limited Test Ban Treaty, which India joined. This treaty significantly reduced global levels of fallout, but did little to constrain the nuclear arms race.
• The Indo-US nuclear deal reversed the US ban and facilitated cooperation in the civil nuclear energy field. India reciprocated by committing to separate its civil and military facilities, placing all its civil nuclear facilities under International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards, working with the US for the conclusion of an Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty (FMCT) and continuing its voluntary moratorium on nuclear testing.
• India had ruled out the possibility of joining the Non- Proliferation Treaty (NPT) as a non-nuclear weapon state but it remains “committed” to a unilateral voluntary moratorium on nuclear explosive testing.
• Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) 1968: Its objective is to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons technology, to promote cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy and to further the goal of achieving nuclear disarmament and general and complete disarmament. India is a non- signatory to this treaty.
• Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons
2017: It is the first legally binding international agreement that prohibits States Parties from developing, testing, producing, manufacturing, acquiring, possessing, or stockpiling nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices.
• Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zones (NWFZ): It is a regional approach to strengthen global nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament norms and consolidate international efforts towards peace and security.
• India did not participate in the negotiations on a Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons which was concluded in New York on 7 July 2017 quoting that India maintains the Geneva-based Conference on Disarmament (CD) as a single multilateral disarmament negotiation forum.
UN chief Antonio Guterres appealed to eight nations, including India and the US, to ratify the Comprehensive
Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT).
What is CTBT?
• It is a multilateral treaty banning all nuclear explosions for both military and civilian purposes.
• It was negotiated at the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva and adopted by the United Nations General
Assembly. It was opened for signature on 24 September 1996.
• The CTBT with its 183 signatories and 163 ratifications is one of the most widely supported arms-control treaties.
• It can only enter into force after it is ratified by eight countries with nuclear technology capacity, namely China, Egypt, India, Iran, Israel, North Korea, Pakistan and the United States.
• Only North Korea, has broken the norms, which had led to condemnation from the Security Council and repeated imposition of sanctions.
• The Treaty establishes a CTBT Organization (CTBTO), located in Vienna, to ensure the implementation of its provisions, including provisions for international verification measures.
How is it important?
• CTBT has an essential role within the nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation regime.
• By constraining the development and qualitative improvement of nuclear weapons, the treaty puts a brake on the nuclear arms race and serves as a barrier against States that might seek to develop, manufacture and acquire nuclear weapons in violation of their non-proliferation commitments.
• Nuclear testing has a catastrophic impact on the environment, human health, food security and economic development. When the Treaty enters into force it provides a legally binding norm against nuclear testing.
India’s Stand on CTBT
India did not support the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty in 1996 and still does not due to following reasons:
• Complete Nuclear Disarmament: India’s principled opposition drew from its emphasis on universal and complete nuclear disarmament in a time-bound manner. CTBT does not address complete disarmament.
• Discriminatory in Nature: UNSC permanent members have little marginal utility in testing further. They have already conducted nuclear tests and possess nuclear weapons. For India, CTBT would only act as hindrance for conducting nuclear test and developing their technology.
• Entry into force clause: Another major concern was Article XIV, the entry-into-force (EIF) clause, which India considered a violation of its right to voluntarily withhold participation in an international treaty. The treaty initially made ratification by states that were to be a part of the CTBT’s International Monitoring System (IMS) mandatory for the treaty’s EIF. Because of this, India withdrew its participation from the IMS.
• Technological differences: There is the possibility that those already possessing nuclear weapons can upgrade their arsenals through sub-critical and laboratory simulated testing which is not banned under CTBT.
• Security threat: India faces uncertain dangers from Pakistan, and China, which had conducted nuclear tests even while the CTBT was being negotiated. As party to the CTBT, India would be waiving the possibility of testing and developing its own nuclear weapons whereas China would be able to retain its arsenal as per the NPT. Pakistan has not signed this treaty whereas China has not ratified till now.
21 www.visionias.in ©Vision IAS
India’s stand on other treaties
• India had played an important role in building international momentum for the 1963 Limited Test Ban Treaty, which India joined. This treaty significantly reduced global levels of fallout, but did little to constrain the nuclear arms race.
• The Indo-US nuclear deal reversed the US ban and facilitated cooperation in the civil nuclear energy field. India reciprocated by committing to separate its civil and military facilities, placing all its civil nuclear facilities under International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards, working with the US for the conclusion of an Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty (FMCT) and continuing its voluntary moratorium on nuclear testing.
• India had ruled out the possibility of joining the Non- Proliferation Treaty (NPT) as a non-nuclear weapon state but it remains “committed” to a unilateral voluntary moratorium on nuclear explosive testing.
• Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) 1968: Its objective is to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons technology, to promote cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy and to further the goal of achieving nuclear disarmament and general and complete disarmament. India is a non- signatory to this treaty.
• Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons
2017: It is the first legally binding international agreement that prohibits States Parties from developing, testing, producing, manufacturing, acquiring, possessing, or stockpiling nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices.
• Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zones (NWFZ): It is a regional approach to strengthen global nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament norms and consolidate international efforts towards peace and security.
• India did not participate in the negotiations on a Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons which was concluded in New York on 7 July 2017 quoting that India maintains the Geneva-based Conference on Disarmament (CD) as a single multilateral disarmament negotiation forum.
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