Dr. Robert Floyd, the Executive Secretary of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO), is scheduled to come in Somalia on February 15 for a one-day meeting with government leaders.
The Executive Secretary will meet with Somalia’s President, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre, Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Minister Abshir Omar Huruse, and Parliament Speaker Adan Muhammad Nur.
Dr. Robert Floyd will speak on the CTBT and the benefits of CTBTO membership, such as access to CTBTO data for civil and scientific applications, capacity building and technical help, and knowledge-sharing opportunities.
The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) prohibits all nuclear explosions “anywhere, by anyone, and forever.”
To ensure that no nuclear explosion goes undetected, the CTBTO has built an International Monitoring System (IMS). Currently, 303 approved facilities (of a total of 337 when completed) are in operation around the world, employing four primary technologies: seismic, hydroacoustic, infrared, and radionuclide.
The IMS data can also be utilized for disaster prevention, such as earthquake monitoring and tsunami warning, as well as study into topics as diverse as whale migration, climate change, and monsoon rain prediction.
Dr. Floyd is the first Executive Secretary of the CTBTO to visit the country.