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.

He completed his higher education in France, obtaining a PhD in Geophysics from the Université de Paris XI in 1993.

Under his leadership, The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (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  Democratic People’s Republic of Korea serve as example. 

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 850 young professionals from 109 countries and the GEM consist of 28 internationally recognized high level figures.

His expertise extends beyond nuclear security, as evidenced by his appointment as Prime Minister of Burkina Faso in December 2021.

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.