International Day of Action against Nuclear Tests (29/08)





The preamble to the relevant General Assembly resolution emphasizes: nuclear testing must be « ended in order to prevent its devastating and harmful consequences for human life and health». She also calls for more active education and awareness of people « about the consequences of nuclear weapons test explosions and any other nuclear explosions and the need to stop them as one of the means to achieve the goal of building a world free of nuclear weapons».

The initiative to adopt this resolution, which had a large number of authors and co-authors, was taken by the Republic of Kazakhstan, which also proposed the date of the Day in order to celebrate the closure of the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site on this day in 1991.

Since the mid-20th century —, almost two thousand of them have been carried out since the start of nuclear weapons — tests. History of nuclear testing — is a story of suffering. The devastating effects of the tests on human life, not to mention the radioactive fallout from atmospheric tests, received little attention. Experience and history have demonstrated to humanity the terrible and tragic consequences of nuclear weapons testing, especially when it is getting out of control and modern nuclear weapons are much more powerful and destructive.

In May 2010, all states parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons pledged to work together to strive for security in a world free of nuclear weapons and described the establishment of a ban on nuclear testing as a vital task«.

The treaty was opened for signature and ratification in 1996. Currently, the entire southern hemisphere of the planet has practically become a nuclear-weapon-free zone by virtue of regional treaties: the Treaty of Rarotonga, covering the South Pacific Ocean; the Treaty of Pelindaba, covering Africa; the Bangkok Treaty, covering South Asia, and the Treaty of Tlatelolco, covering Latin America and the Caribbean.

In April 2009, the world welcomed the announcement by the Presidents of the Russian Federation and the United States of America of their commitment to creating a world free of nuclear weapons and to fulfilling their obligations under Article VI of the Non-Proliferation Treaty with a view to further reducing and limiting strategic offensive weapons.

In his new Disarmament Agenda «Securing Our Common Future», presented on May 24, 2018, the UN Secretary-General stated that the proliferation of nuclear weapons poses an existential threat to humanity. He emphasized that one mechanical error, a failure in the electronic system or a human oversight can lead to disaster when entire cities disappear from the face of the earth.

The UN chief called on member states that have not ratified the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty to do so as soon as possible. He noted that measures must be taken to ensure that this agreement remains a critical tool in the implementation of the disarmament agenda.

For the first time, the International Day of Action against Nuclear Tests was held in 2010, and since then, various coordinated events have been held annually in different countries to coincide with this date (these are symposia, conferences, exhibitions, competitions, publications, lectures in educational institutions, information programs and other events).

All this, along with other events and activities, contributes to the formation of a global environment that opens up more optimistic prospects for moving towards a world free of nuclear weapons. And although there are signs of progress in various areas of this area, problems remain. Therefore, by celebrating the International Day against Nuclear Tests every year, we are taking another step towards strengthening world peace and security.



Postcard «August 29 — International Day of Action against Nuclear Tests»

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