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Governments urged to ‘stop gambling with humanity’s future’ and eliminate nuclear weapons

26 September 2024 

World leaders, senior government officials and civil society representatives joined forces at UN Headquarters on Thursday to reaffirm commitment to nuclear disarmament as a global priority. 

The High-Level Meeting was held to commemorate the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons, observed annually on 26 September. 

“There should be no place for these devices of death in our world,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres.   

Nuclear ‘spectre’ looming 

He warned, however, that “not since the worst days of the Cold War has the spectre of nuclear weapons cast such a dark shadow.” 

He said that “nuclear sabre-rattling has reached a fever pitch” and there have been threats to use a nuclear weapon, highlighting fears of a new arms race.   

Meanwhile, decades-old norms established against the use, spread and testing of nuclear weapons are being eroded. 

Learn from the past 

Mr. Guterres said the first-hand experience of the hibakusha – the survivors of the atomic bombing of the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 – “stand as clear reminders of where the nuclear path ends”.

“And yet, nearly 80 years later, nuclear-weapon States continue to roll the dice, resisting disarmament measures and believing that, somehow, our luck will never run out,” he said.

 Stop gambling with our future 

He appealed for these countries to “stop gambling with humanity’s future”, starting with honouring their commitments and meeting their disarmament obligations. 

 “Until nuclear weapons are eliminated, these States should commit to never use them under any circumstances. And they must demonstrate the utmost transparency in all matters related to nuclear weapons,” he said. 

Appeal to Russia and USA 

The Secretary-General also called on Russia and the United States “to return to the process of nuclear arms reductions, with other nuclear-weapon States following in due course.” 

As “disarmament and non-proliferation are two sides of the same coin,” countries must pursue both as a matter of urgency, he added. 

He recalled that the recently concluded Summit of the Future resulted in new international commitment to revitalize the global disarmament regime and to bring the world closer to the goal of total elimination of nuclear weapons, which the vast majority of UN Member States support. 

 “The time has come to take steps to ensure that a nuclear weapon is never used again,” he said. 

‘Nuclear catastrophe’ risk mounting: General Assembly President 

UN General Assembly President Philémon Yang lamented the current era of heightened nuclear risks. 

“We are also observing a growing nexus between nuclear weapons and domains such as outer and cyber space, and technologies such as artificial intelligence, which are multiplying the danger of a nuclear catastrophe,” he said. ……………………………………………………………………..

 Warnings going unheard: Marshall Islands President 

The President of the Marshall Islands, Heidi Heine, spoke about her country’s experience, history and current challenges with nuclear exposure. ………………………………………………………………

Non-Aligned Movement demands urgent action

 Ugandan Foreign Minister Jeje Odongo Abubakhar spoke on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), which has its roots in the Cold War era.

NAM’s 121 members remain deeply concerned over the slow progress towards nuclear disarmament and the failure of nuclear weapons holders to eliminate their arsenals. 

“We reaffirm the need for the nuclear-weapon States, which bear the primary responsibility for nuclear disarmament, to take urgent and concrete actions aimed at achieving this goal,” he said. 

Nuclear weapons have ‘no constructive value’: Libya

The Acting Foreign Minister of Libya, Eltaher Salem Elbaour, reminded participants that his country decided to relinquish its nuclear weapons programme in 2003.

Implement existing commitments: US official ………………………………………….more https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/09/1154951

October 2, 2024 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | weapons and war