Lassina Zerbo, a geophysicist, served as the 3rd Executive Secretary of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO). Through his efforts the CTBTO is recognized today as the world’s centre of excellence for nuclear test-ban verification and a major hub for science diplomacy.
Under his leadership, the CTBT global monitoring system has outperformed expectations in the acquisition, management and processing of data. The CTBTO’s swift responses to the nuclear tests conducted by the DPRK serve as example. Dr. Zerbo has also nurtured a culture of excellence, transparency and professionalism, which is valued by member-states and staff alike.
He advocates relentlessly for the nuclear dialogues to be more inclusive, participatory and diverse. He has launched landmark initiatives to address the intergenerational gap and promote the CTBT including, CTBTO GEM (Group of Eminent persons) and the CTBTO Youth Group. The youth group, counts today over 1,000 young professionals from 109 countries and the GEM consist of 28 internationally recognized high level figures.
Before joining the CTBTO in 2004 as Director of the International Data Centre, he worked in senior scientific positions at BHP-Billiton and Anglo American plc.
Dr Zerbo’s awards and distinctions include “Arms Control Person of the Year”, Commander of the National Order of Burkina Faso, Grand Cross in the Chilean Order of Bernardo O’Higgins, Special Honorary Citizenship of the City of Hiroshima, the Presidential Medal of Kazakhstan, the AAAS Award for Science Diplomacy, the Nazarbayev Prize for a Nuclear-Weapons-Free World and Global Security, the Development Champion Award of the Forum for Rebranding Africa, and an honorary professorship from the UASD in the Dominican Republic.
He is also a member of the Munich Security Council Core Group and was a member of the World Economic Forum and Vice-Chair of the Global Agenda Council on Nuclear Security from 2014-2016.