General Assembly approves
Relationship Agreement between
United Nations and
CTBTO Preparatory Commission

Yesterday, 15 June, the General Assembly of the United Nations approved the Agreement* to Regulate the Relationship between the United Nations and the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO). The Agreement thus entered into force. The Agreement brings the Commission, an independent organization with its own membership and budget, into a formal working relationship with the United Nations and provides a framework for cooperation between the two organizations. This cooperation will facilitate the Commission´s task of carrying out the necessary preparations for the effective implementation of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT). Under the CTBT, the Commission is responsible for establishing a global verification regime to monitor compliance with the Treaty. The Preparatory Commission will now be able to participate in United Nations meetings in the same capacity as such organizations as the International Atomic Energy Agency and the World Trade Organization. *The agreement was signed on 26 May by the Executive Secretary of the Preparatory Commission, Wolfgang Hoffmann, and the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan (see press release of 26 May 2000 (http://www.ctbto.org))

For further information on the CTBTO, please see www.ctbto.org or contact:
Annika Thunborg, Chief, Public Information  
T    +43 1 26030-6375  
E    annika.thunborg@ctbto.org
M    +43 699 1459 6375       
I    www.ctbto.org