The UN affirmed the need for the Treaty on Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons more than any time before.
It warned that 13,000 nuclear weapons are now being held in arsenals around the world.
In a statement, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said that humanity is in danger of forgetting the lessons forged in the terrifying fires of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
“Geopolitical tensions are reaching new highs. Competition is trumping co-operation and collaboration. Distrust has replaced dialogue and disunity has replaced disarmament.”
“States are seeking false security in stockpiling and spending hundreds of billions of dollars on doomsday weapons that have no place on our planet,” it added.
“We need the Treaty on Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons as much as ever. That is why this Review Conference is so important. It’s an opportunity to hammer-out the measures that will help avoid certain disaster. And to put humanity on a new path towards a world free of nuclear weapons.”
Also in this regard, he called for the urgent need to reinforce and reaffirm the 77-year-old norm against the use of nuclear weapons.
“It’s also a chance to strengthen this Treaty and make it fit for the worrying world around us,” he continued.
