Posted by: ctbtonewsroom | May 23, 2017

News Report and article by ORF

The news report as well as the article by Austrian Broadcasting Corporation (ORF) highlight the work and efforts of CTBTO towards detecting nuclear tests anywhere in the world. Watch the video in full length here and read the article here. Reproduced from ORF, originally published on 21 May 2017.

Atomwaffen: Überwachungszentrale in Wien

Ob es weltweit zu einem Atomtest gekommen ist, wird von Wien aus überwacht. In der Donaustadt werden rund 300 Messstationen im Kontrollzentrum der Atomteststoppbehörde (CTBTO) in der UNO-City im Auge behalten.

Bis auf einen Kilometer genau kann die Behörde weltweit Atomexplosionen lokalisieren. „Wir haben seismische Stationen für unter der Erde, Infraschallstationen für in der Atmosphäre und Hydroakustikstationen für Explosionen in Ozeanen. Dazu gibt es dann auch Radioaktivitätsmessstationen, die kontinuierlich die Atmosphäre überwachen, ob radioaktive Stoffe freigesetzt wurden“, sagte Kernphysiker Robert Werzi vom CTBTO gegenüber „Wien heute“.

Wenn eine der rund 300 Messstationen ausfällt, wird sofort Alarm geschlagen. So soll kein Atomwaffentest geheim bleiben können. „Wenn nötig, werden die Leute vor Ort kontaktiert, die dann entsprechende Reparaturen durchführen. Wir wollen die Stationen hochverfügbar haben, und die Daten sollen kontinuierlich nach Wien kommen“, sagte Werzi.

Täglich 15 Gigabyte Daten

OPsDie Daten aus aller Welt werden von den Computern in Wien vorsortiert. Bei verdächtigen Messungen werden die Analystinnen und Analysten sofort benachrichtigt – und das kann auch mitten in der Nacht sein. „Weil das sehr wichtig für die Mitgliedsstaaten ist, die wollen sofort wissen, ob jetzt etwas passiert ist“, erklärte Analystin Maria-Theresia Apoloner. Die 183 Mitgliedsstaaten sind Länder, die ein Verbot von Atomwaffentests schon unterzeichnet haben.

15 Gigabyte Daten kommen täglich in Wien zusammen. Sie alle werden händisch überprüft, um festzustellen, ob es wirklich eine Atomexplosion war oder doch nur ein Erdbeben. Die Analyse ist schwieriger als die Suche nach der Nadel im Heuhaufen. „Es ist mehr die Nadel im Nadelhaufen. Weil eben alles sehr ähnlich ausschaut, man muss sehr genau hinschauen – und dann kann man eben unterscheiden, was es ist. Aber es ist keine einfache Aufgabe“, sagte Apoloner.

ops2Die in Wien gesammelten Daten werden auch anderen Wissenschaftlern zur Verfügung gestellt. So werden Daten von Unterwasserbeben etwa zur Tsunami-Frühwarnung weitergegeben. Auch Atomunfälle werden registriert und können so nicht mehr von Regierungen geheim gehalten werden.

Full article on ORF.at

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Posted by: ctbtonewsroom | May 18, 2017

NATO and Partners to discuss Weapons of Mass Destruction Non-proliferation and Arms Control in Helsinki

Press release republished from NATO.int.  

As a valued NATO Partner, Finland will host the 13th Annual NATO Conference on Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) Arms Control, Disarmament and Non-proliferation from 29 to 30 May 2017 in Helsinki.

This is one of NATO’s largest outreach activities, held with increasing success since 2004, involving Alliance member states and partners from around the world. Participants from five continents and major international organisations will gather together for this informal event. The conference will be opened by Timo Soini, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Finland. A statement will be delivered by NATO’s Deputy Secretary General Rose Gottemoeller.

Following the repeated use of chemical weapons in Syria and nuclear and ballistic missile tests in North Korea, as well as the discussions in the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and UN framework on new disarmament instruments, this dialogue between NATO Allies with NATO partners around the globe is important to ensure a better understanding of the global security challenges.

Reinforcing non-proliferation

NATO’s Assistant Secretary General for Emerging Security Challenges, Ambassador Sorin Ducaru, will chair this forum which provides an opportunity for open and informal dialogue. The conference will address topical issues, such as:

  • The state of play and future of the multilateral non-proliferation regimes and initiatives in view of a changing international security environment;
  • regional proliferation challenges in the Middle East and in Asia, including in Syria and North Korea;
  • NATO’s contribution and other international organisations’ efforts in the area of WMD arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation.

CTBTO NATOMore than 100 participants from nearly 50 NATO and Partner countries and international organisations such as the United Nations and the European Union will gather in Helsinki, among them many senior non-proliferation officials from around the globe, including Assistant Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Ambassadors and Directors-General.

Dr. Lassina Zerbo, Executive Secretary of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) will be a keynote speaker at the opening of the conference and Ambassador Ahmet Üzümcü, Director-General of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), which received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2013, will address the conference with a keynote speech at dinner.

Previous conferences on the challenges of WMD proliferation were held in Rome (2004), Sofia (2005), Vilnius (2007), Berlin (2008), Warsaw (2009), Prague (2010), Bergen (2011), Budapest (2012), Split (2013), Interlaken (2014), Qatar (2015), and Ljubljana (2016).

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Posted by: ctbtonewsroom | May 11, 2017

Media Advisory

Media representatives are invited to a

High-level event on the importance of evaluation in eradicating poverty and promoting prosperity in a changing world

Tuesday 16 May 2017, 15:00-17:00
Boardroom A, C Building, Vienna International Centre

VIENNA/NEW YORK, 11 May 2017
A high-level event with prominent experts from the field of development discussing how evaluation can contribute to eradicating poverty, will take place at the United Nations in Vienna, as part of the UN Evaluation Group’s annual meeting.

Globally, nearly 700 million people are still living on less than US$1.90 a day, many lacking access to adequate food, clean drinking water and sanitation. Since the 1990’s, approx. 1.1 billion people have been lifted out of extreme poverty and the proportion of undernourished people in the developing regions has fallen by almost half. Despite these achievements, much remains to be accomplished. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) renews the international community’s resolve to combat global poverty and ensure inclusive prosperity, and also binds all countries to a bold commitment to end poverty by 2030.

Eradicating poverty in all its forms remains one of the greatest challenges facing humanity and panellists at the high-level event will discuss the critical role of the follow-up and assessment of the sustainable development goals in advancing shared prosperity. Lassina Zerbo, Executive Secretary, Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO), Dazhu Yang, Deputy-Director General for Technical Cooperation, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Marco Segone, UNEG Chair; Director, UN Women Independent Evaluation Office will welcome panellists and participants. The President of the UN General Assembly, Peter Thomson, will deliver the opening remarks (by video message). Panellists will include Heidi Mendoza, UN Under-Secretary-General for Internal Oversight Services; Rachid Benmokhtar Benabdellah, President of the National Observatory for Human Development, Morocco; Natalia Nikitenko, Member of Parliament, Kyrgyzstan; and Kelly McCarthy, Director at the Global Impact Investing Network.

The United Nations Evaluation Group (UNEG) is dedicating its annual Evaluation Week, taking place in Vienna from 15 to 19 May, to the role of evaluation in Eradicating Poverty and Promoting Prosperity in a Changing World, as part of its work to support and intensify momentum towards attaining the SDGs. UNEG, an interagency professional network brings together more than 47 members from the evaluation units of the UN system, specialized agencies, funds and programmes, and affiliated organizations with a mission to share and exchange knowledge, innovations, best practices and lessons.

The High-Level Event will be organized in partnership with the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO), International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

The high-level event will be open to a broad range of stakeholders including international organizations, governmental organizations, civil society organizations, academic institutions, the private sector, philanthropic organizations, the evaluation community and other actors.

Evidence and data from evaluations is essential to better inform, direct and strengthen SDG efforts and interventions. Assessments of what is working, for whom, and under what conditions can accelerate progress to eradicate poverty, promote prosperity and leave no one behind.

MEDIA ARRANGEMENTS

The event will be webcast live at http://www.unevaluation.org/2017_UNEG_HLE

Please note that the event will be in English, and the archive video will be available after the event.

Media representatives who wish to attend the event, and who are not accredited to the VIC, should write to press[at]unvienna.org.

Access to the C-building is via Gate One of the Vienna International Centre.

For further information please contact:

Sasha Jahic,
UNEG Secretariat, New York
Email: sasha.jahic@undp.org
or
Anne Thomas
Public Information Officer, UNIS Vienna
Telephone: (+43-1) 26060-5588
Mobile: (+43-699) 1458-5588
Email: anne.thomas@unvienna.org

Join the conversation on social media by following the hashtag #UNEGweek and follow @un_evaluation on Twitter. Visit the website for more information: www.unevaluation.org

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