UNIS/SGSM/1436
23 September 2024
This tenth International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons arrives at a troubling moment.
Growing geopolitical divisions and mistrust are driving tensions to new heights. Instead of dialogue and diplomacy being deployed to end the nuclear threat, another nuclear arms race is taking shape, and saber-rattling is re-emerging as a tactic of coercion.
We need to stop the madness before it’s too late. On this important Day, the world must deliver a clear and united message: the only way to eliminate the nuclear threat is to eliminate nuclear weapons.
Disarmament and non-proliferation are two sides of the same coin. Progress in one spurs progress in the other. States must pursue both as a matter of urgency.
Nuclear weapon States must lead the way by honoring their disarmament obligations, and committing never to use nuclear weapons under any circumstances, or threaten to do so.
The treaties and instruments that seek to prevent the spread and testing of nuclear weapons and bring about their elimination need to be reinforced and adapted to meet today’s challenges, including to address technological changes that could increase the threat.
Just days ago, the Summit of the Future — and the Pact for the Future that emerged — resulted in a new global commitment to revitalize the global disarmament regime, and bring our world closer to our goal of total elimination of nuclear weapons.
Our future hangs in the balance. Let’s eliminate these weapons from our world for good.
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"On this International Day of Epidemic Preparedness, I call on countries to heed the lessons of past health emergencies to help prepare for the next." — António Guterres
The new Permanent Representative of Ghana to the United Nations (Vienna), Matilda Aku Alomatu Osei-Agyeman, presented her credentials today to the Director-General of the United Nations Office at Vienna (UNOV), Ghada Waly.
The new Permanent Representative of New Zealand to the United Nations (Vienna), Andrew Williams, presented his credentials today to the Director-General of the United Nations Office at Vienna (UNOV), Ghada Waly.
The new Permanent Representative of Armenia to the United Nations (Vienna), Andranik Hovhannisyan, presented his credentials today to the Director-General of the United Nations Office at Vienna (UNOV), Ghada Waly.