UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday called for renewed efforts to "breathe life into" the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).
Guterres noted that over decades the international community has built a web of instruments to curb the use, proliferation and testing of nuclear weapons, stressing that the NPT remains the bedrock of efforts to achieve their total elimination. The 11th Review Conference of the Parties is running from April 27 to May 22 at United Nations Headquarters in New York.
Warning that the treaty is eroding, with commitments unfulfilled and trust wearing thin, the UN chief urged renewed resolve as proliferation pressures heighten.
"This conference provides a timely opportunity to stand together and safeguard humanity from the grave threat of nuclear annihilation," Guterres said.
Noting that "a state of collective amnesia has taken hold" and "nuclear sabers rattle once more," the UN chief said that for the first time in decades, the number of nuclear warheads is "on the rise" and nuclear testing is "back on the table."
"We need to breathe life into the treaty once more," Guterres stressed, urging countries to keep their promises under the NPT.
"It's time to re-commit to disarmament and non-proliferation as the only true path to peace, by reinforcing the norm against nuclear testing, by strengthening the safeguards system and the IAEA's (International Atomic Energy Agency) oversight, and by agreeing (on) the measures needed to prevent nuclear war," Guterres said.
The UN chief stressed that the nuclear threat is compounded by new dangers from rapidly evolving technologies such as artificial intelligence and quantum computing, noting that the treaty must grapple with the nexus between nuclear weapons and new technologies.
"With your support and engagement, the treaty can remain an active and strong foundation for a world free of nuclear weapons in our fast-moving age," said the secretary-general.
"So before it's too late: let's break the collective amnesia around nuclear weapons. Let's renew faith in what we can achieve when we stand as one. Let's act with urgency to lift this cloud hanging over humanity," he said.
The NPT, signed in 1968 and effective since March 5, 1970, is the only treaty that contains legally binding commitments to pursuing nuclear disarmament. A total of 191 states have joined the treaty, including the five nuclear-weapon states, making the NPT the most widely adhered to multilateral disarmament agreement.
According to the NPT, a review conference is held every five years to assess the treaty's implementation.
UN chief urges renewed resolve as nuclear treaty credibility erodes amid proliferation pressures
UN chief urges renewed resolve as nuclear treaty credibility erodes amid proliferation pressures
UN chief urges renewed resolve as nuclear treaty credibility erodes amid proliferation pressures
