On the occasion of the Day for the Total Abolition of Nuclear Weapons, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres expressed concern about the development of a new arms race.
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“Geopolitical mistrust and competition have skyrocketed nuclear risk to Cold War levels. Meanwhile, the hard-won progress made over many decades in preventing the use, proliferation and testing of nuclear weapons is being lost.” This can be read in the statement published on the international body’s website.
Guterres reiterated his commitment to a world without nuclear weapons and “the humanitarian catastrophe that their use would unleash.”
The Secretary General called on nuclear-weapon states to honor their disarmament obligations and commit to “never” using them.
“On the day of total abolition of nuclear weapons, we reaffirm our commitment to a world without nuclear weapons and the humanitarian catastrophe that their use would unleash.”
— @antonioguterres https://t.co/xEOimVQovo pic.twitter.com/etiRrRiN5o
– United Nations (@ONU_es)
September 26, 2023
The statement reiterates the position that the international community must strengthen nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation policies, including countries that have not yet ratified the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty.
The organization’s primary goal in the field of disarmament since 1946 has been the complete abolition of nuclear weapons. The United Nations estimates that more than half of the world’s population still lives in countries that have alliances or are engaged in the use of them.
“The only way to eliminate the nuclear threat is to abolish nuclear weapons. Let us work together to banish these artifacts of destruction from the pages of history once and for all,” Guterres said at the end of his speech.