27 MAY 2025, VIENNA - State Signatories of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) lauded the Philippine Permanent Mission in Vienna for successfully advancing the budget discussions, which many delegations had believed would be improbable, during the Sixty-seventh Session of Working Group A (WGA) on 22-23 May 2025 at the Vienna International Center. 

At the center of the discussions was the long-term sustainment of the International Monitoring System (IMS), the CTBTO’s global network of seismic, hydroacoustic, infrasound, and radionuclide sensors which monitor nuclear testing. The sustainment of the IMS network requires a significant budget increase. While States recognize the importance of ensuring that the IMS network is functional, the global economic difficulties make it challenging for countries to fund the maintenance and recapitalization of the network.

Under the continued leadership of Ambassador and Permanent Representative Evangelina A. Bernas as chair of WGA, the session reviewed the financial implications of sustaining the IMS network as well as the proposed budget for 2026-2027. More than one hundred State Signatories participated in the session. The WGA adopted a report by consensus which will be submitted to the Sixty-fourth Session of the Preparatory Commission in June 2025. 

The CTBTO is committed to realizing a world free of nuclear testing. As one of its subsidiary bodies, the WGA addresses key issues including the organization’s annual budget, human resource management, and financial regulations. END