ELIMINATE NUCLEAR WEAPONS BEFORE THEY ELIMINATE US

Speaking at the opening of the Meeting of States Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons on 21 June 2022 in Vienna, Austria, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres described “a deadly reminder of the inability of states to resolve problems through dialogue and cooperation” and called on the international community to abandon nuclear weapons once and for all

In a video message to the Meeting, Mr António Guterres said: “These weapons offer false promises of security and deterrence – while guaranteeing only destruction, death and endless brinkmanship” and “Let us eliminate these weapons before they eliminate us”

The UN chief said: “The horrifying lessons of Hiroshima and Nagasaki are fading from memory. Yet, with more than 13,000 nuclear weapons still stored worldwide, the once-unthinkable prospect of nuclear conflict is now back within the realm of possibility. In a world rife with geopolitical tensions and mistrust, this is a recipe for annihilation. We cannot allow the nuclear weapons wielded by a handful of States to jeopardise all life on our planet. We must stop knocking on doomsday’s door.” Mr Guterres said: “The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons is an important step towards our shared aspiration of a world free of nuclear weapons. It prohibits the full range of activities related to nuclear weapons, such as developing, testing, producing, manufacturing, acquiring and stockpiling nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices.”

The Secretary-General said that the governments, civil society groups and other observers attending the meeting in Vienna reflected the central truth that “disarmament is everyone’s business, because life is everyone’s business”, adding that “the decisions taken will help strengthen the Treaty’s place as an essential element of global disarmament and nuclear non-proliferation efforts”. He expressed the hope that more countries would be persuaded to join, affirming: “Only by working together can we eliminate this scourge and get back to the work of building a better, more peaceful and more trustworthy world for all.”

The Treaty was adopted in July 2017 and entered into force in January 2021; it has been signed by 86 states and ratified by 65.

According to UN News

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