Some thirty speakers together with the president of the 77th General Assembly, Csaba Korosi, discussed the need to improve public awareness and education about the devastating effects for both victims and the environment.
In his words during the meeting, Korosi insisted on the geopolitical competition and the increasing number of armed conflicts that further increase the dangers for the world.
“We see many signs that nuclear stockpiles and capabilities are increasing, which is in contravention of the Non-Proliferation Treaty,” he acknowledged.
The investment and continuous modernization of nuclear weapons is simply incompatible with the objectives, aspirations and promises, the Hungarian representative assured while calling for a human-centered approach to disarmament.
Korosi recalled the premise of the General Assembly to “do everything possible to end nuclear tests”, collected in 2010.
However, there is little reason to celebrate today, he said, recalling that world military spending reached a record $2.2 trillion in 2022.
This Monday, the head of the General Assembly also led a symbolic walk at the headquarters with a special appeal to the new generations as part of the #StepUp4Disarmament campaign (a step forward for disarmament).
The initiative of the organization and the Permanent Mission of Kazakhstan invited to complete a distance of 8.29 kilometers or follow 10,900 steps, an approximate equivalent, to emphasize physical activity and the role of sport for many young people around the world.
In 2009, the 64th session of the United Nations General Assembly declared August 29 as the International Day Against Nuclear Tests by unanimously adopting resolution 64/35.
It calls for increased awareness and education “on the effects of nuclear weapons test explosions or any other nuclear explosions and the need for their cessation as one of the means to achieve the goal of a world free of nuclear weapons.”
The date was promoted by Kazakhstan, along with other sponsors and co-sponsors to commemorate the closure of the Semipalatinsk nuclear testing site on August 29, 1991.
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