International Day for the
Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons
26 September
26 September
"The
consequences of any further use of nuclear weapons, whether intentional or by
mistake, would be horrific. When it comes to our common objective of nuclear
disarmament, we must not delay -- we must act now."
Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon
Achieving global nuclear disarmament is one of the oldest
goals of the United Nations. It was the subject of the General Assembly’s
first resolution in 1946. It has been on the General Assembly’s agenda
along with general and complete disarmament ever since 1959. It has been
a prominent theme of review conferences held at the UN since 1975 of States
parties to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. It was identified a
priority goal of the General Assembly’s first Special Session on disarmament in
1978, which attached a special priority to nuclear disarmament. And it
has been supported by every United Nations Secretary-General.
Yet today, some 16,000 nuclear weapons remain. Countries
possessing such weapons have well-funded, long-range plans to modernize their
nuclear arsenals. More than half of the world’s population still lives in
countries that either have such weapons or are members of nuclear
alliances. As of 2015, not one nuclear weapon has been physically
destroyed pursuant to a treaty, bilateral or multilateral, and no nuclear
disarmament negotiations are underway. Meanwhile, the doctrine of nuclear
deterrence persists as an element in the security policies of all possessor
states and their nuclear allies. This is so—despite growing concerns
worldwide over the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of the use of even a
single nuclear weapon, let alone a regional or global nuclear war.
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| Sculpture depicting St. George slaying the dragon.The dragon is created from fragments of Soviet SS-20 andUnited States Pershing nuclear missiles. Credit: UN Photo/Milton Grant |
These facts provide the foundation for the General Assembly’s
designation of 26 September as the International Day for the Total Elimination
of Nuclear Weapons. This Day provides an occasion for the world community
to reaffirm its commitment to global nuclear disarmament as a high priority. It
provides an opportunity to educate the public—and their leaders—about the real
benefits of eliminating such weapons, and the social and economic costs of
perpetuating them. Commemorating this Day at the United Nations is
especially important, given its universal membership and its long experience in
grappling with nuclear disarmament issues. It is the right place to address one
of humanity’s greatest challenges, achieving the peace and security of a world
without nuclear weapons.
