The President of the UN General Assembly, Volkan Bozkir, connected Wednesday called for an extremity to atomic tests, arsenic ambassadors gathered to commemorate the International Day against Nuclear Tests, observed annually connected 29 August.

Despite caller developments successful advancing atomic disarmament, much remains to beryllium done, said Mr. Bozkir, urging countries which person yet to motion oregon ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) to bash truthful without delay.  

Today we people the International Day against Nuclear Tests, an accidental to retrieve the victims of atomic testing, grant the survivors and analyse the bequest impacts of atomic weapons, including that of atomic waste. My afloat remarks here: pic.twitter.com/1onIGt3TJ5

— UN GA President (@UN_PGA) September 8, 2021

“More than 2,000 atomic tests person been conducted since the advent of atomic weapons. While the complaint of investigating has declined, they person not stopped,” he said.  

“These tests person agelong lasting wellness and biology consequences. They devastate the communities they impact. They displace families from their homelands.”

Progress connected disarmament

Underlining the General Assembly’s committedness to atomic disarmament, Mr. Bozkir welcomed advancement achieved implicit the past twelvemonth amid the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Treaty connected the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, adopted successful 2017, entered into unit this past January aft securing the required 50 ratifications.

The United States and Russia besides extended their atomic arms simplification agreement, known arsenic the New START Treaty, for an further 5 years done February 2026.

Work lies ahead

However, helium stressed that much needs to beryllium done, including arranging meetings to reappraisal the Non-Proliferation Treaty, which indispensable beryllium held nary aboriginal than February 2022, and convening the Fourth Conference of Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zones and Mongolia, postponed since April 2020.

Mr. Bozkir besides called for enactment to beforehand the CTBT, adopted successful 1996, which bans each explosive atomic weapons tests anyplace and by immoderate nation.

The pact has been signed by 185 countries, and ratified by 170, including 3 atomic limb States.  However, it indispensable beryllium signed and ratified by 44 circumstantial atomic exertion holder countries earlier it tin participate into force.

"As my word arsenic the President of the General Assembly comes to an extremity successful a fewer days, I would similar to instrumentality this accidental to telephone connected States that person yet to motion oregon ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, to bash truthful arsenic soon arsenic possible,” said Mr. Bozkir.

End of an era

The International Day against Nuclear Tests commemorates the 29 August 1991 closure of the Semipalatinsk trial tract successful Kazakhstan, wherever much than 450 atomic devices were exploded implicit 4 decades during the Soviet era.

The closure signalled “the extremity of the epoch of unrestrained atomic testing”, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said successful his message to the event, which was delivered by UN High Representative for Disarmament, Izumi Nakamitsu.

The Secretary-General besides called for the CTBT to beryllium ratified, and for renewed planetary committedness to extremity atomic tests.