For information only – not an official document
UNIS/SGSM/1476
4 March 2025
Humanity’s future depends on investing in the machinery of peace, not the machinery of war.
Yet global tensions are increasing, the nuclear threat is rising, and guardrails are eroding. Meanwhile, small arms and light weapons are proliferating, and rapidly evolving technologies like Artificial Intelligence and quantum computing are deepening the dangers.
On this International Day for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Awareness, I urge leaders to strengthen the systems and tools that prevent the proliferation, testing and use of deadly weapons and live up to their disarmament obligations.
I also call for a concerted effort in meeting the disarmament commitments contained in the recently adopted Pact for the Future. These commitments include working towards a world free of nuclear weapons, and new strategies to prevent the use of chemical and biological weapons, and to address the weaponization of outer space and the use of lethal autonomous weapons.
It’s time for leaders to put words into action, and invest in disarmament solutions and the peaceful future every person deserves.
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The Zero Project Conference 2025, hosted at the United Nations in Vienna for the thirteenth time, will highlight cutting-edge innovations in employment and information and communication technology (ICT) for people with disabilities.
"Humanity's future depends on investing in the machinery of peace, not the machinery of war." — António Guterres
INCB is calling for a comprehensive, coordinated strategy to counter illicit synthetic drug manufacture, trafficking and consumption including through better private-public partnerships.
"Investing in healthy ecosystems is vital to providing clean air and water, regulating our climate, and supporting livelihoods." — António Guterres
