International Day for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Awareness 2023; March 5th.

FORUM: "The role of disarmament education as a tool for peace and security." International Day for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Awareness 2023.

Since the founding of the United Nations, the goals of multilateral disarmament and arms limitation have been central to the Organization’s efforts to maintain international peace and security. Weapons of mass destruction, in particular nuclear weapons, continue to be of primary concern, owing to their destructive power and the threat that they pose to humanity. The excessive accumulation in conventional weapons and the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons jeopardizes international peace and security and sustainable development, while the use of explosive weapons in populated areas is seriously endangering civilians. New and emerging weapon technologies, such as autonomous weapons, pose a challenge to global security and have received increased attention from the international community in recent years. Follow the conversation with the hastags: #disarmamentawarenessday, #5march, #nonproliferationawarenessday #VCS, #peaceandsecurity.

Statement from the U.N. Secretary-General on International Day for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Awareness 2023; March 5th.

On this first-ever International Day for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Awareness, the global community gathers around a fundamental conviction.

Nuclear, chemical, biological, and unpredictable autonomous and other indiscriminate weapon systems have no place in our world.

Yet today, these and other threats continue to menace humanity, with record levels of military spending, rising mistrust, and geopolitical tensions that, left unchecked, could spiral into even greater conflict.

In particular, the number of nuclear weapons held in stockpiles around the world remains at around 13,000 — more than enough to destroy our planet many times over at a time when risk of use is at its highest since the Cold War.

On this important day, I call on all partners — from governments and academia, to media, civil society groups, industry, and young people — to turn up the volume on this collective emergency and raise awareness about the critical importance of disarmament and non-proliferation to humanity’s future.

I also urge leaders to take steps to strengthen the global disarmament and non-proliferation regime — including the Treaty on Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons — and support a New Agenda for Peace with a reinvigorated vision for disarmament.

Disarmament and non-proliferation are investments in peace.

They are investments in our future.

Let’s end these threats before they end us.

António Guterres.

EVENTS: Activities to Commemorate the International Day for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Awareness Day 2023.


- Inaugural online launch event (1 March 2023)

To mark the first-ever International Day for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Awareness, the Permanent Mission of the Kyrgyz Republic to the United Nations and the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs will co-host a virtual launch event on Wednesday 1 March, from 11.00 am to 12.30 pm (EST). Distinguished speakers including the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kyrgyz Republic, the United Nations Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, and the President of the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly will deliver opening remarks for the launch event, which will be followed by a panel discussion and Q&A from participants. 

Distinguished speakers including the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kyrgyz Republic, the UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, and the President of the 77th session of the UN General Assembly will deliver opening remarks for the event, which will be followed by a panel discussion and Q&A from participants.

MODERATOR
• H.E. Ms. Aida Kasymalieva
Permanent Representative of the Kyrgyz Republic to the UN

OPENING REMARKS
• H.E. Mr. Zheenbek Kulubaev
Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kyrgyz Republic
• H.E. Ms. Izumi Nakamitsu
UN Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs
• H.E. Mr. Csaba Kőrösi
President of the 77th session of the UN General Assembly

PANELLISTS
• H.E. Mr. Ishikane Kimihiro
Permanent Representative of Japan to the UN
• Ms. Maria Antonieta Jaquez Huacuja
Director for Disarmament, Non-Proliferation and Arms Control, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mexico
• Mr. William Potter
Director of the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies
• Ms. Naomi Ekpoki
UN Youth Champion for Disarmament
• Mere Tuilau
Manager, Reverse The Trend Pacific, Marshallese Educational Initiative's Pacific Campaign, Fiji

Register here.

- Vienna Conversation Series event “Advancements in Science & Technology: Leveraging disarmament education towards greater diversity and inclusion” (2 March 2023)

On 2 March from 2:00 – 3:30 p.m. (CET), Member States, academia and civil society representatives will explore the impact of advances in science and technology on international peace and security through the lens of diversity and inclusion. They will also reflect on how the power of disarmament education may be leveraged to engage more stakeholders, especially new generations, in an inclusive and sustained manner. This event is organized by the UNODA Vienna Office in partnership with the Permanent Missions of the Kyrgyz Republic and the Republic of Korea to the United Nations in Vienna. Register here.

- #ClickDISARM Campaign

In a countdown to the International Day for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Awareness on 5 March, the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs’ #Youth4Disarmament initiative has launched the #ClickDISARM campaign to highlight a variety of ways for young people to get involved in awareness-raising activities for disarmament issues. As part of the initiative, various features of the #Youth4Disarmament website will be highlighted, using each letter of “DISARM” to spotlight the different avenues available to: Demystify, Innovate, Share, Amplify, Research, and Motivate.

The campaign will be launched and conducted on the #Youth4Disarmament Instagram page.

- Launch of the 2023 Youth for Biosecurity Fellowship (3 March 2023)

The Geneva Branch of the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs will launch the 2023 Youth for Biosecurity Fellowship in the framework of the first International Day for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Awareness celebrations. The online launch event on 3 March aims to present the Fellowship, the application process and the programme with managers and experts supporting the initiative and alumni.

FACTS AND FIGURES:

• Did you know that in 2021, global military spending reached $2.1 trillion? 
• 12,700 nuclear weapons remain an existential threat to humanity today. 
• 26,000 people can be treated for malaria for the price of 1 battle tank. 

Here are some outreach materials.

CAMPAIGN: Raise awareness on the opportunities provided to engage, educate, and empower young people on disarmament.

International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons 2022; September 26th.

 FORUM: "Towards a new vision for nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation". International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons 2022.

On September 26th, We will continue o raise awareness to enhance public awareness and education about the threat posed to humanity by Nuclear Weapons and States Nuclear arsenals and the necessity for their total elimination. The observance of the United Nations Int'l Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons; 26 September provides an occasion for the world community to reaffirm its commitment to Global nuclear disarmament as a priority.

Statement by the U.N. Secretary-General for the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons 2022.


Mr. President of the General Assembly,
Excellencies,
Distinguished delegates,
Ladies and gentlemen.

We come together on this international day to speak with one voice.

To stand in defense of our world — and our future.

And to reject the claim that nuclear disarmament is some impossible utopian dream.

Last month, I had the honour of visiting Hiroshima and meeting the brave survivors of the 1945 attack, the hibakusha.

Each year, their numbers grow smaller.

But their message grows louder.

Nuclear weapons are the most destructive power ever created.

They offer no security — just carnage and chaos.

Their elimination would be the greatest gift we could bestow on future generations.

Excellencies,

The Cold War brought humanity within minutes of annihilation.

Now, decades after the fall of the Berlin Wall, we can hear once again the rattling of nuclear sabres.

Let me be clear.

The era of nuclear blackmail must end.

The idea that any country could fight and win a nuclear war is deranged.

Any use of a nuclear weapon would incite a humanitarian Armageddon.

We need to step back.

Last month, at their tenth Review Conference, the parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons came close to consensus on a substantive outcome.

Despite meaningful engagement by parties across all three of the Treaty’s pillars, this unique moment failed to result in the outcome we so desperately need.

We are disappointed — but we will not give up.

I urge all States to use every avenue of dialogue, diplomacy and negotiation to ease tensions, reduce risk and eliminate the nuclear threat.

More broadly, we also need a new vision for nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation.

My proposed New Agenda for Peace calls for meaningful disarmament and developing a common understanding of the multiple threats before us.

We need to take into account the evolving nuclear order, including all types of nuclear weapons and their means of delivery.

And we need to address the blurring lines between strategic and conventional weapons, and the nexus with new domains of cyber and outer space.

I pledge to work closely with all Member States to forge a new consensus around how we can collectively defuse these threats and achieve our shared goal of peace.

Excellencies,

As the world comes together for the General Assembly, we have an opportunity to shape a more peaceful, trusting and sustainable future.

Without eliminating nuclear weapons, there can be no peace.

There can be no trust.

And there can be no sustainable future.

Let’s leave this year’s Assembly with a new commitment to work towards the peaceful future we all seek.

Thank you.

STATUS OF WORLD NUCLEAR FORCES. 

Who owns the world's nukes? 

Nuclear Security Summit: Press Conference

Ben Rhodes, Gary Samore, and Laura Holgate take questions from the media at the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington, DC. April 13, 2010.

Nuclear Security Summit: Presidential Press Conference

whitehouse le 13 avril 2010

President Obama takes questions from the media about nuclear security, non-proliferation and the threat of nuclear terrorism at the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington, DC. April 13, 2010.