🇷🇺 Statement by the Delegation of the Russian Federation at the 70th Session of the Working Group on Administrative and Financial Issues of the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization 📍Vienna, October 19, 2026 Full text of the Statement 💬 At the outset, we would like to call upon States Signatories to set aside political differences and ambitions in order to focus on the administrative and budgetary challenges facing the Organization. The Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) has always served as a forum for constructive and professional discussions focused on substantive issues. It is essential that this working atmosphere be preserved. Today, the Organization is confronted with the necessity of operating under a zero nominal growth budget. This effectively translates into a reduction in the Provisional Technical Secretariat’s (PTS) real operational capacity, against the backdrop of rising costs associated with the operation of the International Monitoring System (IMS), including energy supply, communications and specialized personnel. We would like to thank the PTS for holding a briefing on the Organization’s financial situation on 8 October. The briefing clearly and objectively demonstrated that, despite all the efforts undertaken by the Secretariat to implement cost-saving measures and improve efficiency, available resources remain insufficient. Unfortunately, the situation is further aggravated by delays in the payment of assessed contributions to the Regular Budget. As of October, the collection rate for assessed contributions stood at 57,1%, below the 65,7% recorded over the same period last year. We wish to underscore the importance of States Signatories paying their assessed contributions in full and on time. The stable functioning of the CTBTO Preparatory Commission is a collective responsibility of all its Member States. The Russian Federation has paid its assessed contribution for the current year in full, notwithstanding the difficulties in transferring funds resulting from unlawful Western sanctions in the financial and banking sectors. We would once again urge all States Signatories to discharge their financial obligations in a disciplined manner, irrespective of shifting political priorities. The lack of adequate funding jeopardizes the ability of the Preparatory Commission to function effectively and carry out its programmatic activities, given that approximately 80 per cent of its expenditure consists of fixed costs. The compensatory measures already introduced by the PTS, including the freeze on recruitment, the postponement of certain training activities and the deferral of project implementation, cannot ensure the full-fledged functioning of the Organization or resolve the underlying liquidity problems.