CTBTO Preparatory Commission and OPANAL sign relationship agreement

The Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization and the Agency for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean (OPANAL) have signed a relationship agreement. The agreement will further develop cooperation between the two organizations to promote signature and ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT). The agreement, signed by Mr. Edmundo Vargas Carreño, Secretary-General of OPANAL, and Mr. Wolfgang Hoffmann, Executive Secretary of the CTBTO Preparatory Commission, in the presence of 14 Ambassadors from the region, also deals with matters such as consultations, reciprocal representation and the exchange of information and documentation. The Commission and OPANAL share the same objective of enhancing international peace and security.

The Commission has concluded relationship agreements with international organizations such as the United Nations and the World Meteorological Organization, but the agreement with OPANAL marks the first time the Commission has concluded a cooperation agreement with a regional organization. Under the terms of the CTBT, 13 States in the OPANAL region (Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru and Venezuela) will host 43 CTBTO International Monitoring System (IMS) facilities. The IMS facilities in these States will enhance peace and security in the region, and will also provide substantial technical assistance to their host countries through the provision of equipment for the stations and training opportunities for station operators.