Amirul Islam, New York, Sept 28 – Marking the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres called on nuclear-armed States to return to dialogue and take concrete steps toward disarmament, warning that the world is “sleepwalking into a new nuclear arms race.”
Delivering the Secretary-General’s message to the General Assembly plenary on Saturday, Chef de Cabinet Courtenay Rattray said nuclear weapons remain one of the gravest threats to humanity — and that despite decades of promises, the danger is “accelerating and evolving.”
“Disarmament is not the reward for peace — it is the foundation of peace,” Guterres stressed, rejecting the notion that nuclear disarmament must wait for ideal conditions.
A Crisis of Memory and Responsibility
The Secretary-General warned that hard-won gains such as arsenal reductions and nuclear testing bans are being rolled back. He pointed to emerging threats — from hypersonic missiles to cyberattacks and space-based weapons — that increase the risk of escalation and catastrophic miscalculation.
“This is not just a crisis of weapons — it is a crisis of memory, responsibility and courage,” he said, noting the world had recently marked 80 years since the devastation of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Call for Concrete Action
Guterres urged nuclear powers to:
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Resume dialogue and adopt transparency and confidence-building measures.
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Honour obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
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Ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT).
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Ensure humans retain full responsibility for any decision to use nuclear weapons.
He also called on the United States and Russia — the world’s two largest nuclear powers — to negotiate further reductions to their arsenals.
Support for Victims and Future Generations
The UN chief emphasized the need to support victims of nuclear weapons use and testing, and to address the enduring harm of “poisoned lands, chronic illness and lasting trauma.”
“No more excuses, no more delays, no more ignoring legal obligations, no more abandoning future generations,” Guterres declared.
Towards a World Without Nuclear Weapons
Guterres announced the creation of an Independent Scientific Panel to assess the impact of nuclear war and provide a science-based foundation for global action.
“If we falter now, we condemn future generations to live forever under the shadow of our mistakes,” he warned.
Concluding his message, the Secretary-General urged world leaders to “forge a world free of these weapons of extinction” with “courage, conviction and concrete action.”
