{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/eu-decision-2020-901/annex/division-2/part-3",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/eu-decision-2020-901/annex/division-2/part-3.json",
  "legislation": "eudn/2020/901",
  "legislation_title": "Council Decision (CFSP) 2020/901 of 29 June 2020 on Union support for the activities of the Preparatory Commission of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organisation (CTBTO) in order to strengthen its monitoring and verification capabilities and in the framework of the implementation of the EU Strategy against Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/eu-decision-2020-901",
  "path": "annex/division/2/part/3",
  "kind": "division",
  "number": "PART 3: Outreach to non-signatories and non-ratify",
  "heading": null,
  "text": "Project 1: Outreach to scientists, academics, civil society, international and non-governmental organisations, parliamentarians and other policy makers, towards entry into force of the CTBT\nBackground\nExpert-level interaction with the Preparatory Commission is an indispensable means of maintaining both political support for, and technical edge and foresight in, all aspects of the CTBT.\nOver the past few years, a series of conferences and academic, diplomatic and scientific outreach events (for example, biennial CTBT Science and Technology Conference, Regional CTBT Workshops and Conferences, Symposiums) have been instrumental to build, maintain and expand confidence in the verification regime of CTBTO. They have also enhanced public awareness of CTBTO role and underscored the importance of the CTBT as a cornerstone of the global non-proliferation and disarmament regime.\nThe project below capitalises on previous activities, which were funded by the Union under previous Council Decisions and former Joint Actions and further strengthens PTS access to strategic knowledge and competences.\nThe project will make use of cross-organisational synergies and linkages with the broader PTS outreach strategy.\nObjectives\nItem (i)\nStrengthening the SnT process through engagement with leading scientific and technological centres across the globe\nContinued access to scientific and technological knowledge is vital for the PTS to maintain a technical edge and be accurately prepared for any emerging technological challenge. In addition, fostering cooperation with leading scientific centres would allow CTBTO to raise awareness of the CTBT and its role among a rising trans-national generation of new scientists and technical experts.\nDeliverables\nThis project proposes to conduct up to four courses and training programmes of different sizes on CTBT issues, particularly on the scientific and technical aspects of the CTBT.\nDeveloping countries and Annex 2 States will be specifically targeted, in line with the entry into force and universalisation strategies of the PTS. Following on from the planned Science and Diplomacy Symposium 2020, set to be funded under Decision (CFSP) 2018/298, the project will provide seed funding for the next in the series of Symposiums and the Science and Technology Conference 2021, with a particular emphasis on contributing to participation by women and developing country participants, as well as non-ratifying Annex 2 States, including young members of the CTBTO Youth Group and Group of Eminent Persons.\nItem (ii)\nUniversalisation of the Treaty through Regional and Sub-regional Workshops:\nAchieving a world free of nuclear testing through a legally-binding and enforceable regime is a responsibility of the whole international community.\nTo achieve this goal, a proactive strategy for awareness raising, confidence building and regional cooperation must be taken.\nFor example the Pacific Island States Regional Workshop held in 2018, and the South East Asian Regional Workshop hosted in 2014, reaped dividends in terms of securing additional signatures and ratifications of the Treaty such as Thailand and Tuvalu.\nDeliverables\nThis specific segment of the project will focus on convening at least four sub-regional conferences. Two of them will take place on the African continent with the scope of encouraging remaining African countries to ratify the CTBT. One workshop will be convened among English speaking African nations. The second one will focus on the Francophone membership.\nThe other two workshops will instead involve young scientists and will seek to spearhead regional scientific dialogue in Asia and in Europe respectively.\nItem (iii)\nReviving Academic Interest in CTBT:\nDuring the 80s and the 90s, debate flourished within academia on how to bring to a halt global nuclear testing. Intellectual impetus was inspired and largely sustained also by social movements of young environmentalists interested in achieving stronger global cooperation towards a more sustainable way of living. Today, academic work on the CTBT and the norm against nuclear testing is scant. As a result, educational curricula rarely discuss the role of the CTBT and its important function. This project can remedy this situation by providing small seed funding to cover:\nDeliverables\nThe convening of three academic workshops: in London, Paris, Moscow, Washington, Berlin or Algiers.\nThe commissioning of at least five papers that discuss the way in which the CTBT is critical in building strategic trust and confidence both at regional and global level.\nOutreach to at least 10 universities teaching issues related to arms control and non-proliferation issues to encourage them to include the CTBT in their educational curriculum at both undergraduate and graduate level.\nItem (iv)\nEstablishing a CTBT publication for young scholars\nSince the establishment of its Youth Group in 2016, CTBTO has undertaken concerned efforts to ensure consistent presence by young people in all its workshops and events. In addition, during the Science and Technology Conference 2017 and 2019, a magazine called Newsroom Project was issued to highlight younger scholars’ perspectives on how to bring into force the CTBT.\nDeliverables\nGiven the positive feedback received, this project would ensure a consistent and periodic (ideally twice yearly) release of the magazine Most importantly, the funding of this project would improve the quality of the publication and transform it into a venue for dialogue and ideas exchange among young scholars on the CTBT.\nOutcome\nIn addition to enhanced global security, Union support for this project will bolster the EU Strategy against the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction and the Common Position of the Council of the European Union on the universalisation and reinforcement of multilateral agreements, in the field of non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and means of delivery. The projects will engage a broad community of stakeholders on CTBT-related issues; will promote intra-organisational synergies, efficiency and effectiveness, within the PTS; and will further intensify the outreach to key stakeholders in States yet to sign and/or ratify the CTBT, including Annex II States, in order to achieve entry into force and universalisation of the CTBT.\nProject 2: Project for the participation of technical experts from Developing Countries in official technical meetings of the Preparatory Commission (informal reference ‘Pilot Project’)\nIncreased participation of developing and emerging country experts in official technical meetings of the Commission and in scientific and technical meetings held by the PTS. The experts are provided with an opportunity to enhance their scientific and technical knowledge and skills with respect to the verification technologies (seismic, hydroacoustic, infrasound and radio).\nBackground\nMany developing and emerging countries lack the financial resources to enable their experts to participate in the scientific and technical work being undertaken in official technical meetings of the Preparatory Commission. This means that there is a clear deficit in the involvement of developing country representatives in recommendations made and decisions taken, on key technical issues relevant to the CTBT’s verification regime. This deficit is problematic given that many stations of the CTBT’s International Monitoring System are, or will be, located on the territory of developing and emerging countries and are managed by the country’s institutions. Moreover, many developing countries are in the process of establishing and improving their National Data Centres to enable them to take advantage of the data and products generated by the verification system.\nThis lack of participation also means that many countries are excluded from an important means to enhance their capacity, knowledge and skills related to the verification technologies of the CTBT. These technologies are relevant not only for the disarmament and non-proliferation objectives of the CTBT, but also for important civil and scientific applications of broader benefit to communities in these countries, such as disaster warning for tsunamis, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.\nThus, during Part II of its Twenty-Seventh Session (13–17 November 2006), the Commission agreed to establish a pilot project aimed to address this challenge. At its Fifty-first Session (7–9 November 2018), the Commission decided to continue the project for a further three years, from 2019 to 2021.\nSo far it was possible to sustain funding for up to 12 experts. With this additional funding more experts could be selected from usually larger pool of candidates’ nominations.\nObjectives\nStrengthening the universal character of the Preparatory Commission for the CTBTO and capacity building in developing and emerging countries through increased involvement of those country experts in CTBTO policy-making processes and their enhanced capacity in relation to the CTBTO’s verification technologies and the latter’s broader civil and scientific applications.\nOutcome\nIncreased participation of developing and emerging country experts in official technical meetings of the Commission and in scientific and technical meetings held by the PTS. The experts are provided with an opportunity to enhance their scientific and technical knowledge and skills with respect to the verification technologies (seismic, hydroacoustic, infrasound and radionuclide).",
  "extent": "E+W+S+N.I.",
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/eudn/2020/901/annex/division/2/part/3",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-11-01T15:12:14.141074+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}