Why in News:

• The executive secretary of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO), Lassina Zerbo, has invited India to be an observer in the CTBT.

Details:

• Giving India the opportunity to join as an observer could be a good starting point,
• The organisation has moved from being more confined in CTBT and International Monitoring
  System. Being an observer would give India access to data from the International Monitoring System — a network which when complete will consist of 337 facilities (321 monitoring stations and 16 radionuclide labs) located in 89 countries.
• This system can detect even small nuclear explosions using seismology, hydroacoustics, infrasound and radionuclide technology. After 15 years China has started sending data to International Monitoring System… and will set up five IMS stations in China. That is an important milestone. Pakistan too was an observer
• “It only gives the advantage of following what’s happening, learning what China is doing in the organization, and where the US comes in.

Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT)

• The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) is a multilateral treaty that bans all nuclear explosions, for both civilian and military purposes, in all environments.
• It was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 10 September 1996, but has not entered into force, as eight specific states have not ratified the treaty.
• The CTBT is the last barrier on the way to develop nuclear weapons.
• It curbs the development of new nuclear weapons and the improvement of existing nuclear weapon designs. When the Treaty enters into force it provides a legally binding norm against nuclear testing.