THE BRINK OF WAR is based on the incredible true story of the 1986 Reykjavík Summit in Iceland, where President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev met inside Höfði House for a high-stakes, closed-door negotiation at the height of the Cold War. Stripping away political theater, the film captures two opposing leaders locked in intense dialogue as they confront the existential threat of nearly 70,000 nuclear weapons and dare to imagine the total elimination of their nuclear arsenals. Though the summit ultimately collapsed over disagreements regarding the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), the mutual trust forged in that room paved the way for the groundbreaking 1987 INF Treaty a year later. By highlighting how direct, honest communication averted global catastrophe, the film serves as a powerful testament to the necessity of diplomacy on the UN International Day Against Nuclear Tests. The UN International Day Against Nuclear Tests reminds us that dialogue, mutual understanding, and the courageous pursuit of peace remain our strongest safeguards against atomic escalation and nuclear annihilation. Established by the UN General Assembly to raise global awareness about the catastrophic dangers of nuclear testing, this observance underscores that even the deepest geopolitical divides can be bridged when nations choose dialogue and negotiation over confrontation. THE BRINK OF WAR dramatically reinforces this vital message, showing that true leadership requires looking past suspicion to secure a safer, nuclear-weapon-free world for future generations. Movies hold the unique power to promote universal ideals, principles, and values so deeply enshrined by the United Nations, including peace, development, respect for human rights, cultural appreciation, the dignity of the human person, and equal rights for all. Founded at the United Nations Headquarters by Brenda Vongova, the UN Movie Society is committed to championing the goals and values of the United Nations through the universal language of motion pictures.
UN Movie Society of the United Nations Staff Recreation Council. Brenda Vongova, Artistic Director Interview with Michael Russell Gunn, Director of THE BRINK OF WAR
Written Message by the UN Secretary-General for the International Day Against Nuclear Tests
**************************** SPECIAL THANKS
UN Department of Global Communications UN Executive Office of the Secretary-General
Speech writing Unit
Angel Sarah Amro Junket Productions, Inc.
Opening and Closing Music
UN Chamber Music Society of the United Nations Staff Recreation Council Brenda Vongova, Artistic Director JOHANNES BRAHMS (1833 - 1897) Six Pieces for Piano, Op.118: 2. Intermezzo in A Major, Andante teneramente (arr. for Viola and Piano) Jeremy Kienbaum (Viola), Brenda Vongova (Piano).
FORUM: "Remembering the Legacy, Renewing Our Commitment to a Nuclear-Test Ban." International Day Against Nuclear Tests 2025. Nuclear weapons today present tremendous dangers, but also an historic opportunity. Leadership will be required to take the world to the next stage -- to a solid consensus
for reversing reliance on nuclear weapons globally as a vital contribution to preventing
their proliferation into potentially dangerous hands, and ultimately ending them as a
threat to the world. Strong non-proliferation efforts are under way. The Cooperative Threat Reduction program, the Global Threat Reduction Initiative, the Proliferation Security Initiative and the Additional Protocols are innovative approaches that provide powerful new tools for detecting activities that violate the NPT and endanger world security. They deserve full implementation. The negotiations on proliferation of nuclear weapons by North Korea and Iran, involving all the permanent members of the Security Council plus Germany and Japan, are crucially important. They must be energetically pursued. Nothing can play as crucial a role in avoiding a nuclear war or nuclear terrorist threat as the elimination of nuclear weapons. There have been a number of significant developments, discussions and initiatives relevant to its goals and objectives as well as conferences convened since the International Day against Nuclear Tests was first celebrated. Follow the conversation with the hashtags: #EndNuclearTesting, #IDANT, #InternationalDayAgainstNuclearTests, #AgainstNuclearTests, #29August, #StepUp4Disarmament. #NuclearWeaponsFreeWorld.
EVENTS: On August 29th during the observance of the International Day Against Nuclear Tests 2025, we will commemorate the 80th anniversary of the first nuclear test. We must never forget the legacy of over 2,000 nuclear weapons tests carried out over the last 80 years.
This important day arrives amid rising geopolitical tensions and growing nuclear risks — including the disturbing prospect of a return to nuclear testing.
In 2025, we commemorate the 80th anniversary of the first nuclear test. We must never forget the legacy of over 2,000 nuclear weapons tests carried out over the last 80 years.
The effects of these explosions have been horrific.
Nuclear tests drive displacement and contaminate lands and oceans. They sow the seeds of long-term health crises, including cancers and other chronic illnesses. And they deepen the cracks in the foundation of global trust, stability and peace.
We cannot accept this.
The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty remains the only internationally agreed, legally binding instrument to end all nuclear tests. Its entry into force, long overdue, is more urgent than ever. I call on all countries to ratify it — immediately and without conditions.
My message to leaders is simple: stop playing with fire. Now is the time to silence the bombs before they speak again.
António Guterres, United Nations Secretary-General.
Nearly three decades ago, the world took decisive steps to bring nuclear test explosions to an end. Those actions changed the course of history. Where once the ground shook with alarming regularity, today such events are rare, a testament to the strength of our collective resolve. On 29 August, the International Day against Nuclear Tests (IDANT), we reaffirm our commitment to placing non-proliferation and disarmament first, and to ensuring that no person ever again lives in the shadow of a nuclear explosion.
I will never forget standing at ground zero in Semipalatinsk, Kazakhstan – a site scarred by more than 450 nuclear tests – the closure of which we also commemorate on this day. I felt the full weight of that history, a sobering reminder of what the international community must never allow to happen again.
At the height of the cold war, such tests occurred almost weekly. They were not only a grave risk to global peace and security but also had a lasting impact on public health and the environment.
The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) was opened for signature in 1996 after years of determined multilateral effort. It reflected the combined strength of diplomatic will and scientific progress. By prohibiting nuclear test explosions conducted by anyone, anywhere, at any time, the Treaty transformed decades of aspiration into a shared commitment. It signalled that the world’s nations were ready to turn a historic page.
Before CTBT was opened for signature, more than 2,000 nuclear test explosions had been conducted worldwide. Since 1996, that number has fallen to fewer than a dozen. This dramatic decline is no accident. It reflects the strength of the norm created by our Treaty and the value that the international community places on preventing any return to testing.
The Treaty is already a proven success. It has brought almost all nuclear testing to an end, placing powerful constraints on the development of new nuclear weapons and the advancement of existing designs, while fostering a strong international expectation that testing belongs in the past. Entry into force will build upon this, giving us the full range of verification measures, including on-site inspections, to further reinforce what has already been achieved.
The success of the Treaty rests on science in the service of diplomacy. Its International Monitoring System (IMS), already operating with more than 300 stations and laboratories in over 90 countries, uses seismic, hydroacoustic, infrasound and radionuclide technologies to detect any nuclear explosion. Data from this network flow to the International Data Centre in Vienna, where they are processed around the clock and made available to all signatory States.
This transparency builds confidence. All States rely on the same objective information to assess adherence to the Treaty and to determine whether a nuclear test has taken place. Even countries that have not yet ratified the Treaty host facilities and benefit from the data. That participation reflects the value and credibility that nations place in a system built through global cooperation.
Those benefits extend well beyond peace and security: IMS data contribute to tsunami warning systems, support disaster response and help advance scientific research and understanding that serve us all.
Today’s international climate is marked by heightened tensions and evolving geopolitical dynamics. However, the record leaves little room for doubt: testing has come to an almost complete halt, and States continue to support and use the verification system. This reflects a near-universal view that nuclear testing has no place in the twenty-first century.
IDANT reminds us that change happens when people understand why it matters. Communities affected by past tests carry voices that deserve to be heard. Diplomats, scientists, educators and youth advocates help translate remembrance into prevention. Their work strengthens a culture of responsibility that maintains the silence we expect from test sites across the world.
As we observe the International Day against Nuclear Tests, we are also approaching another milestone. In 2026, we will mark 30 years since Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty was opened for signature. Anniversaries invite reflection, not only on what has been achieved but also on the work that lies ahead.
Our Treaty has already had a profound impact. Nuclear test explosions have become extremely rare, and the verification regime operates with global reach and trust. We look forward to the day when Treaty enters into force, enabling all elements of the verification regime to be deployed.
Achieving this will require the remaining States to take the final step. They have the opportunity to help complete what was started almost three decades ago. Their decision to ratify the Treaty would reinforce a commitment that has already proved its worth and support a system that benefits every region.
This International Day is a reminder that the absence of nuclear test explosions is not a matter of chance. It is the outcome of decades of dedication and collaboration. Let us continue to uphold that achievement.
In a noisy world, progress can sound like nothing at all. May the measure of our vigilance be silence of in place of nuclear testing, everywhere, for all time.
We believe that a major effort should be launched by
the United States to produce a positive answer through concrete stages.
First and foremost is intensive work with leaders of the countries in possession of nuclear weapons to turn the goal of a world without nuclear weapons into a joint enterprise. Such
a joint enterprise, by involving changes in the disposition of the states possessing nuclear
weapons, would lend additional weight to efforts already under way to avoid the
emergence of a nuclear-armed North Korea and Iran. The program on which agreements should be sought would constitute a series of agreed and urgent steps that would lay the groundwork for a world free of the nuclear threat.
Steps would include:
• Changing the Cold War posture of deployed nuclear weapons to increase warning time and thereby reduce the danger of an accidental or unauthorized use of a nuclear weapon.
• Continuing to reduce substantially the size of nuclear forces in all states that possess them.
• Eliminating short-range nuclear weapons designed to be forward-deployed.
• Initiating a bipartisan process with the Senate, including understandings to increase confidence and provide for periodic review, to achieve ratification of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, taking advantage of recent technical advances, and working to secure ratification by other key states.
• Providing the highest possible standards of security for all stocks of weapons, weapons-usable plutonium, and highly enriched uranium everywhere in the world.
• Getting control of the uranium enrichment process, combined with the guarantee that uranium for nuclear power reactors could be obtained at a reasonable price, first from the Nuclear Suppliers Group and then from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) or other controlled international reserves. It will also be necessary to deal with proliferation issues presented by spent fuel from reactors producing electricity.
• Halting the production of fissile material for weapons globally; phasing out the use of highly enriched uranium in civil commerce and removing weapons-usable uranium from research facilities around the world and rendering the materials safe. • Redoubling our efforts to resolve regional confrontations and conflicts that give rise to new nuclear powers.
Achieving the goal of a world free of nuclear weapons will also require effective measures to impede or counter any nuclear-related conduct that is potentially threatening to the security of any state or peoples.
Reassertion of the vision of a world free of nuclear weapons and practical measures toward achieving that goalwould be, and would be perceived as, a bold initiative consistent with America's moral heritage. The effort could have a profoundly positive impact on the security of future generations. Without the bold vision, the actions will not be perceived as fair or urgent.
Without the actions, the vision will not be perceived as realistic or possible.
We endorse setting the goal of a world free of nuclear weapons and working energetically on the actions required to achieve that goal, beginning with the measures outlined above.
FORUM: "Putting an end to nuclear explosions." International Day Against Nuclear Tests 2024. Nuclear weapons are the most dangerous weapons on earth. One can destroy a whole city, potentially killing millions, and jeopardizing the natural environment. Every effort needs to be made to ensure the entry into force of the CTBT and to preserve its place in the international architecture. In this regard, the Secretary-General appeals to all remaining States whose ratifications are required for the CTBT to enter into force to commit to sign the Treaty at an early date if they have not already done so, and to accelerate the completion of their ratification processes. It is the hope of the United Nations that one day all nuclear weapons will be eliminated. Until then, there is a need to observe International Day against Nuclear Tests as the world works towards promoting peace and security. Follow the conversation with the hashtags: #EndNuclearTesting, #IDANT, #InternationalDayAgainstNuclearTests, #AgainstNuclearTests, #29August, #StepUp4Disarmament. #NuclearWeaponsFreeWorld.
EXHIBITS: Experience the powerful work of CTBTO Youth Group (CYG) members for the Global Art Campaign. These parallel exhibits will be held in Vienna and New York, showcasing the winning submissions that vividly illustrate the contrast between a world with nuclear weapons tests and one without.
Across nearly eight decades, more than 2,000 nuclear tests were conducted at more than 60 sites around the world.
These tests left a legacy of destruction, rendering lands uninhabitable and creating long-term health problems for people.
Recent calls for the resumption of nuclear testing demonstrate that the terrible lessons of the past are being forgotten — or ignored.
On the International Day Against Nuclear Tests, the world must speak with one voice to end this practice once and for all.
The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty is the only prohibition on all nuclear testing, and an essential, verifiable security tool.
But it is not yet in force.
In the name of the victims of nuclear tests and future generations, I call on all countries whose ratifications are needed for the Treaty to enter into force to do so— immediately and without conditions.
Let’s pass the test for humanity – and ban nuclear testing for good.
Nuclear weapons are the most dangerous weapons on earth. One can destroy a whole city, potentially killing millions, and jeopardizing the natural environment. Every effort needs to be made to ensure the entry into force of the CTBT and to preserve its place in the international architecture. In this regard, the Secretary-General appeals to all remaining States whose ratifications are required for the CTBT to enter into force to commit to sign the Treaty at an early date if they have not already done so, and to accelerate the completion of their ratification processes. It is the hope of the United Nations that one day all nuclear weapons will be eliminated. Until then, there is a need to observe International Day against Nuclear Tests as the world works towards promoting peace and security.
Since 1945, more than 2,000 nuclear tests have inflicted terrifying suffering on people, poisoned the air we breathe, and ravaged landscapes around the world.
On the International Day Against Nuclear Tests, the world speaks with one voice to end this destructive legacy.
This year, we face an alarming rise in global mistrust and division. At a time in which nearly 13,000 nuclear weapons are stockpiled around the world — and countries are working to improve their accuracy, reach and destructive power — this is a recipe for annihilation.
A legally binding prohibition on nuclear tests is a fundamental step in our quest for a world free of nuclear weapons. The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, though not yet in force, remains a powerful testament to humanity’s will to lift the shadow of nuclear annihilation from our world, once and for all.
In the name of all victims of nuclear testing, I call on all countries that have not yet ratified the Treaty to do so immediately, without conditions.
"The world is cleaner and safer without nuclear weapons tests. At the CTBTO, we have amazing technology to detect any nuclear test anywhere on Earth. This has helped create a powerful norm against testing. Because today, if a nuclear weapon is tested, the world will know. And know fast."
However, nothing can play as crucial a role in avoiding a nuclear war or nuclear terrorist threat as the total elimination of nuclear weapons. Bringing an irreversible end to nuclear explosions will prevent the further development of nuclear weapons. Since the International Day against Nuclear Tests was first declared, there have been a number of significant developments, discussions and initiatives relevant to its goals and objectives as well as conferences convened to elaborate and advance these developments.
From the steppes of Kazakhstan, to the pristine waters of the Pacific Ocean and the deserts of Australia, nuclear testing has long poisoned our planet’s natural environment and the species and people who call it home.
The International Day Against Nuclear Tests represents a global recognition of the catastrophic and lingering damage done in the name of the nuclear arms race. It is a way to remember those who suffered because of the folly of atomic brinkmanship. And it is an alarm bell for the world to finally put in place a legally binding prohibition on all nuclear tests.
With nuclear risks reaching new heights, now is the time for the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty to come into full force, underpinned by an effective verification system.
Nuclear weapons have no place in our world. They guarantee no victory or safety. By design, their only result is destruction.
Our world has been held hostage by these devices of death long enough. On this important day, I call on the world to act for the health and survival of people and planet alike.
Let’s ensure the end of testing now and forever, and consign nuclear weapons to history, once and for all.
Over the decades, and especially in recent years, civil society efforts in support of a comprehensive ban on nuclear testing for the most part have been connected to the larger enterprise of achieving the total elimination of nuclear weapons. To help bring the CTBT into force, NGOs, civil society and members of the public, especially in those countries that must ratify the Treaty for it to enter into force, can urge their – and other - governments and parliaments to sign and ratify the treaty. They can also urge their governments to endorse the Secretary-General’s Five Point Proposal for Nuclear Disarmament, which includes bringing the CTBT into force and consideration of negotiating a nuclear weapons convention, backed by a strong system of verification, as has long been proposed at the United Nations. Many entities, such as research institutes, academic institutions and NGOs, are engaged in disarmament-related work, including in relation to the CTBT.
Message by the President of the United Nations General Assembly on the International Day against Nuclear Tests 2016, August 29th
Through its resolution 64/35, the General Assembly designated 29 August as the International Day against Nuclear Tests. It was on this day, 25 years ago, that the Semipalatinsk nuclear weapon test site in Kazakhstan, one of the largest nuclear weapon test sites in the world, was closed. To mark this 25th anniversary and to contribute to the call of Resolution 64/35 to enhance awareness and education about the effects of nuclear test explosions and the need for their cessation, I will convene an informal plenary meeting on 31 August 2016,from 10:00 to 13:00, in the Trusteeship Council Chamber (the programme of the event will be circulated in due course). This year we are also marking the 20th anniversary of the opening for signature of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) and the 10th anniversary of the Central Asian Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone treaty. The CTBT helps to prevent nuclear explosions that would cause unimaginable damage to the environment and human health. It must also be seen, however, as an important tool in our endeavour to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons. In this regard I would also like to add my voice to the call to the states that have not yet done so to sign and ratify CTBT to enable its entry into force. In addition, moratoriums on nuclear testing have had a positive impact on the international security environment. Tests conducted by the only violator in this century were strongly condemned by the international community and I join in that condemnation. Finally, this day we should also remind ourselves of the need for continued systematic and sustained efforts to reduce nuclear weapons globally and to fulfil the ultimate objective - general and complete disarmament under strict and effective international control. After all, the Iranian nuclear deal with the international community demonstrates that if there is political will, there are solutions.
H.E. Mr. Mogens Lykketoft, President of the United Nations General-Assembly.
Statement by the U.N.Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon on the International Day Against Nuclear Tests 2016, August 29th.
For nearly a decade as United Nations Secretary-General, I have witnessed many of the worst problems in the world as well as our collective ability to respond in ways that at times seemed impossible. Our ambitious new 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement on climate change have demonstrated the power of political will to break longstanding deadlocks. On this International Day against Nuclear Tests, I call on the world to summon a sense of solidarity commensurate with the urgent need to end the dangerous impasse on this issue. Today marks a quarter of a century since the closure of the Semipalatinsk test site in Kazakhstan, ground zero for more than 450 nuclear tests. The victims there are joined by others scattered across Central Asia, North Africa, North America and the South Pacific. A prohibition on all nuclear testing will end this poisonous legacy. It will boost momentum for other disarmament measures by showing that multilateral cooperation is possible, and it will build confidence for other regional security measures, including a Middle East zone free of nuclear weapons and all other weapons of mass destruction. When I visited Semipalatinsk in 2010, I saw the toxic damage – but I also witnessed the resolve of the victims and survivors. I share their determination to strive for a world free of nuclear weapons. Since its adoption 20 years ago by the General Assembly, the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty has yet to enter into force. Given the catastrophic risks posed by nuclear weapons to our collective human and environmental security – even our very existence – we must reject this stalemate. I urge Member States to act now. Those States whose ratification is required to bring the Treaty into force should not wait for others. Even one ratification can act as a circuit breaker. All States that have not done so should sign and ratify because every ratification strengthens the norm of universality and shines a harsher spotlight on the countries that fail to act. On this Day, I call on all countries and peoples to work for the CTBT’s entry into force as soon as possible so that we may advance toward a nuclear-weapon-free world.
Ban Ki-moon, United Nations Secretary-General.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is shown the CTBTO's Operations Centre
Challenges in addressing proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, their means of delivery and related materials
- Informal meeting to mark the observance of the International Day against Nuclear Tests. The opening segment will be followed by a moderated panel discussion on the theme “Strengthening the global norm against nuclear tests – CTBT@20”. Close International Day Against Nuclear Tests - Gerneral Assembly, informal meeting and panel discussionTweet Thumbnail The Week Ahead- starting 29 August 2016 UN Web TV
° Mogens Lykketoft, President of the United Nations General Assembly at the informal meeting to mark the observance of the International Day Against Nuclear Tests 2016 . The opening segment will be followed by a moderated panel discussion on the theme “Strengthening the global norm against nuclear tests – CTBT@20”. UN Web TV
The endeavour towards a world free of nuclear testing is “all about what we want to prepare for the future generation,” according to Lassina Zerbo, Executive Secretary of The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO). In an interview with the UN News Centre, to mark the International Day Against Nuclear weapons testing (observed by the UN General Assembly today, 31 August, 2016), Dr. Zerbo highlighted the world's technical and political achievements since the adoption of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) in 1996. Decrying the fact that the Treaty is yet to be ratified by eight countries, the Executive Secretary urged the international community to mobilise political will in expediting the Treaty’s entry into force. UN Web TV#IDANT
The Meeting is convened by H.E. Mr. Mogens Lykketoft, President of the United Nations General Assembly.
Date: Wednesday, 31 August 2016
Time: 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.... Venue: Trusteeship Council, United Nations Headquarters
Opening Statements by:
•H.E. Mogens Lykketoft, President of the General Assembly
• Message on behalf of the Secretary-General to be delivered by Mr. Kim Won-soo, Under-Secretary General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs
•H.E. Kairat Abdrakhmanov, Permanent Representative of Permanent Mission of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the United Nations
High-Level Panel on “STRENGTHENING THE GLOBAL NORM AGAINST NUCLEAR TESTS – CTBT@20”.
The official Opening Ceremony will be followed by a High-Level Interactive Panel on the above theme. The distinguished experts will reflect on the progress made to date, current and emerging challenges, and opportunities to strengthen the global norm against nuclear tests.
Moderator
H.E. Cristian Istrate, Chair of the CTBT Prep Com, Vienna
Speakers
•Mr. Kim Won-soo, Under Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs
•Dr. Lassina Zerbo, Executive Secretary, Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization
•H.E. Amatlain Elizabeth Kabua, Permanent Mission of the Marshall Islands to the United Nations
•H.E. Laura Elena Flores Herrera, Permanent Representative of the Permanent Representative of Panama to the United Nations
•Mr. Randy Rydell, Mayors for Peace
The panel will be followed by observations and questions from Member States and observers.
Entry
The Informal Meeting is open to all diplomats, think-tanks, the academic community, civil society and the media. Those without a UN Grounds Pass interested in these events should kindly contact Rsvpkzevents@gmail.com or tel.: 1 (212) 230-1900, ext. 301.
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