The Head of the United Nations delivered the opening remarks of the Tenth Review Conference of the Contracting Parties Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weaponsextended until August 26.
Mr. Guterres highlighted several current challenges to global peace and security, in which the world is under greater stress due to the climate crisis, severe inequality, conflict and human rights violations. , as well as the devastation caused by COVID-19 pandemic.
Disarmament is not disunity
He speak The meeting is taking place against the backdrop of these challenges, and at a time of nuclear threat not seen since the height of the Cold War.
“Geopolitical tensions are reaching new highs. Competition is crowding out cooperation and collaboration. Distrust has replaced dialogue and disunity has replaced disarmament. Nations seeking false safety in hoarding and spending hundreds of billions of dollars on doomsday weapons have no place on our planet,” he said.
Currently, most 13,000 nuclear weapons are currently kept in armories around the world, he added.
“All of this comes at a time when weapons proliferation risks are growing and the railings that prevent escalation are waning. And when crises – with nuclear causes – are breaking out, From the Middle East and the Korean Peninsula. As for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and many other world factors.
Today, he said, humanity is “just a misunderstanding, a miscalculation to avoid nuclear annihilation.”
A new path
The Secretary-General stressed the importance of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, saying it was necessary “As much as possible”while the review meeting provides an opportunity to “put humanity on a new path towards a world without nuclear weapons”.
He outlined five areas of action, beginning with strengthening and reaffirming the norm against the use of nuclear weapons, that require the unwavering commitment of all parties to the treaty.
“We need to strengthen all avenues of dialogue and transparency. “Peace cannot exist without mutual trust and respect,” he said.
States must also “work relentlessly” toward the goal of eliminating nuclear weapons, starting with a new commitment to shrink their numbers.
This also means strengthening multilateral agreements and frameworks on nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, which include the important work of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IEA).IAEA).
Address ‘smoldering tension’
For a third view, Mr. Guterres focused on the need to resolve “smoldering tensions” in the Middle East and Asia.
“By adding the threat of nuclear weapons to protracted conflicts, these areas are on the verge of disaster. We need to redouble our support for dialogue and negotiation to defuse tensions and forge new relationships of trust in areas where there is little left,” he said.
The Secretary-General also calls for promoting the peaceful use of nuclear technology, such as for medical purposes, as a catalyst to promote Sustainable development goals (SDGs).
Finally, he called on governments to fulfill all outstanding commitments in the treaty, “and keep it fit for purpose in these challenging times.”
IAEA
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi (centre) sets off with a team of experts on safety, security and protection during a business trip to the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine.
Unexpected dimension
The head of the IAEA, the UN’s nuclear watchdog, spoke about how the “ghost of war” has brought a new and unexpected dimension to nuclear safety in Ukraine.
Rafael Mariano Grossi said that at the beginning of the conflict, which has been almost six months now, he outlined Seven Pillars Nuclear safety must never be violated. These include respecting the physical integrity of nuclear power plants and ensuring employees can perform their duties without undue stress.
“All these seven principles have been trample or violate since this tragic period began,” he told the conference.
While the IAEA is able to work with Ukraine to restore systems at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, the site of the 1986 disaster, Grossi continues to push for a mission to the Zaporizhzhya plant, the largest plant. in the country, which is occupied by Russian Forces.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we are ready to go,” he said. “We hope to be able to go to Zaporizhzhya because if something happens there, we will only be responsible for ourselves. Not a disaster, not an earthquake or a tsunami. It will be because we do not take action to blame it. “
Iran and North Korea
Grossi also touched on other issues, including those related to monitoring Iran’s nuclear program.
“We know that in order to be able to give the necessary and reliable assurances that all activities in the Islamic Republic of Iran are for peaceful purposes, we need to cooperate with them,” he said. speak.
“It’s doable, we’ve done it in the past, but we need – and I say this very clearly – we need access commensurate with the breadth and depth of the nuclear program. By the way.”
The situation in the Democratic Republic of Korea (DPRK) also remains a concern and he expressed hope that IAEA inspectors will be able to return to the country.
