Without eliminating nuclear weapons there can be no peace or a sustainable future, warns the UN Secretary-General

Without eliminating nuclear weapons there can be no peace or a sustainable future, warns the UN Secretary-General

The Cold War placed humanity within minutes of annihilation and today, decades after the fall of the Berlin Wall, that threat is being felt again, the United Nations Secretary-General said recently on the occasion of International Day for the Total Elimination of of Nuclear Weapons.

António Guterres participated in the high-level event that took place within the framework of the General Assembly debate on the occasion of the day, held every September 26.

“Nuclear weapons are the most destructive power ever created. They do not offer security, only carnage and chaos”, stressed Guterres, calling to eliminate them to give future generations “the best of gifts”.

Unsolvable old issue

Nuclear disarmament was the subject of the first resolution approved by the General Assembly in 1946 and has been part of the Organization’s agenda since 1959; however, it is an objective that is still pending.

Last month, the 10th Review Conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons took place and, although the parties came close to a consensus, a favorable result was not achieved.

“We are disappointed, but we will not give up,” Guterres said, referring to this lack of agreement and urging all states to use all avenues of dialogue, diplomacy and negotiation to “alleviate tensions, reduce risk and eliminate the threat nuclear”.

nuclear blackmail

With a strong warning, the Secretary General implicitly alluded to the war in Ukraine and recent statements about the possible use of atomic weapons.

“The era of nuclear blackmail must end. The idea that any country could fight and win a nuclear war is insane. Any use of a nuclear weapon would incite a humanitarian Armageddon. We need to take a step back,” she emphasized.

The head of the UN urged to take advantage of the new year of sessions of the General Assembly to work for the future that humanity needs and recalled that it will not come as long as those arsenals continue to exist.

“Without eliminating nuclear weapons, there can be no peace. There can be no trust. And there can be no sustainable future,” she warned.

New Vision

Guterres argued that achieving nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation requires a new vision, noting that his New Agenda for Peace calls for meaningful disarmament and a common understanding of the multiple threats to humanity.

“We must take into account the evolution of the nuclear order, including all types of nuclear weapons and their means of delivery. And we must address the blurred lines between strategic and conventional weapons, and the nexus with the new domains of cyberspace and outer space,” he explained.

Committing to working closely with all member states to reach a consensus, the Secretary-General resolutely defended the goal of achieving denuclearization.

“Nuclear disarmament is not an impossible dream,” he asserted.

Reverse the tendency to confrontation

Along the same lines, the president of the General Assembly called for celebrating the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons with “genuine and renewed determination” to end this weaponry.

“We have the data. We have the science. We have the multilateral frameworks. At this critical moment, let us reverse the trend of mistrust and confrontation and instead focus on rational compromises and wise solutions,” said Csaba Körösi.

Never again a Hiroshima or Nagasaki

He argued that all of humanity would benefit if it could ensure that an atrocity like that of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, where the United States dropped two atomic bombs causing unprecedented death and devastation, would never happen again.

“These tragic events deeply shocked our collective conscience. That was the only time in history that nuclear weapons were used in a war. At least until now”, she limited.

Körösi noted that in the early days of this year, the leaders of the nuclear-weapon states jointly affirmed that “a nuclear war cannot be won and should never be fought”, and deplored that if only nine months later, tensions between the world powers have reached maximum levels of alarm.

Atomic cloud spreading over Nagasaki around noon on August 9, 1945. (Photo: UN / Nagasaki International)

Credible risks of nuclear disaster

“We are again, permanently 100 to 110 seconds away from launching a nuclear attack that responses will follow. The war in Ukraine has posed credible risks of global nuclear disaster and, as the International Atomic Energy Agency has warned, certain circles are playing with fire,” he pointed out.

The President of the Assembly concluded by quoting Albert Einstein: “I do not know with what weapons World War III would be fought, but I know that the subsequent war would be fought with stones and sticks.” (Font: UN News)