Moratoria are legally authorized periods of delay in the performance of a legal obligation. Such as suspension of debt payments for a given time. They are usually implemented under urgent circumstances and as emergency measures.
Moratoria are often declared at an international level. For instance, they may be declared during debt crises situations to suspend debt payments for a given time. The USA in 1995 decided to extent a moratorium on nuclear tests beyond this year to improve the chances for extending the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty.