In the last days of World War II, as the idea of the United Nations began to take shape, the atomic bombings of two Japanese cities sent a chilling warning to the world, of the terrifying destructive power of nuclear weapons. Eight decades later, in the midst of the growing geopolitical tensions and ongoing conflicts, the threat of nuclear weapons is increasing.
High level of threat for decades
In his message for the ‘International Day for the total elimination of nuclear weapons’, observed annually on September 26, the UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, reminds the world that “nuclear weapons do not deliver security, only the promise of annihilation.”
Nuclear disarmament has remained a priority for the UN since its inception. In fact, the first resolution adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1946 focused on nuclear disarmament.
In the decades that followed, the UN continued to lead diplomatic efforts in this direction. In 1959, the General Assembly formally supported the objective of general and complete disarmament. In 1978, the first special session of the General Assembly on disarmament declared that nuclear disarmament was the highest priority.
Each UN Secretary General has actively followed this goal. The current headline, António Guterres, has repeatedly warned in recent years that “geopolitical tensions and distrust have increased the risk of nuclear war to their highest levels in decades.”
“These weapons are growing in power, rank and stealth. An accidental launch is an error, a calculation error, an act precipitously away,” he told the Security Council last year.
What is at stake?
Although nuclear weapons have only been deployed twice, its shadow still hangs on humanity. There are still more than 12,000 nuclear eyes today. Its destructive potential threatens entire cities, millions of lives, the environment and future generations.
More than 50 percent of the world’s population lives in countries that have nuclear weapons or are part of nuclear alliances. The deep concerns surrounding the possible use of these weapons have intensified due to conflicts, including war in Ukraine.
Many nuclear weapons countries also plan to modernize their arsenals. The integration of emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence, raises the possibility of erroneous and misunderstanding judgments, which makes the risks even more complex and unpredictable.
The International Day for the total elimination of nuclear weapons is marked annually on September 26.
A renewed nuclear arms race?
A range of multilateral treaties and initiatives has been established to stop, regulate or eliminate nuclear weapons over the decades, helping, to some extent, curb proliferation and advanced disarmament.
However, the increase in global instability and violent conflicts are increasingly pressing on these mechanisms. The weakening of such frames runs the risk of causing a renewed nuclear arms race.
In 2019, the United States announced its withdrawal from the treaty of the nuclear forces of intermediate rank, which went to the elimination of a specific class of nuclear missiles and, in 2022, an important review conference did not achieve a consensus on the nuclear proliferation treaty.
The following year, Russia withdrew its ratification of the Integral Nuclear-BAN Test Treaty (CTBT) and suspended its participation in the ‘new start’ treaty in measures for the reduction and limitation of strategic offensive weapons.
These developments have led to a growing frustration due to the slow pace of disarmament and the growing concern for the catastrophic potential of even a single nuclear detonation: since the end of the cold war, while the number of nuclear weapons deployed has decreased, nor a single nuclear eye has been eliminated as a result of any treaty. There are also no active negotiations aimed at nuclear disarmament.
A vision of sculpture, good defeat to evil, on the grounds of the UN Headquarters, presented to the UN by the Soviet Union on the occasion of the 45th anniversary of the organization.
Renewed elimination efforts
To commemorate this year’s International Day for the total elimination of nuclear weapons, a high -level meeting is held on Friday, September 26, since the high -level week of the General Assembly comes to an end.
This initiative, established by a resolution approved in 2013, is designed to increase public awareness, promote global dialogue on disarmament, highlight the benefits of a world free of nuclear weapons and draw attention to the costs of maintaining these weapons.
This meeting is expected to mobilize international support for a world free of nuclear weapons and reaffirm the commitment to disarmament and non -proliferation, especially on the historical occasion of the UNIVERSARY OF THE UN.