Vietnam commits to a world without nuclear weapons testing

Photo caption — Ambassador Vu Le Thai Hoang speaks at the meeting. Photo: VNA

The meeting focused on reviewing the Executive Secretary General's Reports on the implementation of the Treaty, the activities of the International Monitoring Network (IMS), the Global Communications System (GCI) and the International Data Center (IDC)...; and discussed budget, governance and resource issues to ensure that the CTBTO's activities are implemented according to the set roadmap.

The event was attended by CTBTO Executive Secretary General Robert Floyd and 80 CTBTO member countries. Ambassador Vu Le Thai Hoang, Head of the Vietnamese Mission to the United Nations and international organizations in Vienna, led the Vietnamese delegation and delivered a speech at the meeting.

In his opening remarks, Executive Secretary Robert Floyd stressed that the current complex geopolitical context and fierce competition between major powers require the international community to continue to affirm its commitment to preventing all nuclear tests and maintaining the CTBT's global monitoring system. In addition to security challenges, the Session will discuss the CTBTO's 2026-2027 Programme and Budget, which have been adjusted to increase efficiency, cut costs to the maximum, and prioritize additional resources to maintain the International Monitoring System (IMS) and strengthen the data analysis capacity of the International Data Centre (IDC).

Mr. Floyd warned that cuts and delays in investment could increase operational risks to the IMS, impacting data quality and future response capabilities. He therefore called on member states to contribute to the CTBTO budget in full and on time, and to consider using part of the 2022-2023 budget to support the maintenance of the IMS.

Speaking at the meeting, Ambassador Vu Le Thai Hoang affirmed that Vietnam strongly supports the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), emphasizing that the CTBT is an important pillar of the global nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation system. The Ambassador also stated Vietnam's consistent stance in supporting countries to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes while ensuring safety and complying with the standards of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

The Ambassador emphasized that Vietnam will assume the role of Chair of the 11th Review Conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT RevCon 2026) in New York (USA) and pledged to promote balance, build consensus, and link the NPT process with complementary mechanisms such as the CTBT. The designated Chair of Vietnam will conduct consultations with regional groups in Vienna from November 24-25.

On this occasion, Ambassador Vu Le Thai Hoang informed about the visit of CTBTO Executive Secretary General Robert Floyd to Vietnam and attended the East Asia Regional Workshop on National Data Centers (NDCs) organized by the Ministry of Science and Technology in August 2025. The visit made practical contributions to enhancing Vietnam's technical capacity and promoting regional cooperation in the field of inspection and supervision according to CTBT regulations.

The Ambassador stressed that technical assistance, training and capacity building programmes could be directly affected if the CTBTO were to have to cut its budget. He called for ensuring that cost-saving measures would not disrupt assistance activities in general, especially for developing countries.

The Ambassador also affirmed to continue to closely coordinate with the CTBTO and member states to promote multilateralism, ensure geographical balance, increase the participation of women and youth, and contribute to the common goal of a world without nuclear weapons testing.

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/thoi-su/viet-nam-cam-ket-vi-mot-the-gioi-khong-con-thu-vu-khi-hat-nhan-20251111095059647.htm