New Delhi: UN Secretary-General António Guterres Thursday delivered a message calling for an end to the practice of nuclear testing, a UN press release stated. “The World must speak with one voice,” he said ahead of the International Day Against Nuclear Tests on 29 August.
“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,” said Guterres.
Stating that the recent calls for the resumption of nuclear testing demonstrate that the terrible lessons of the past are being forgotten, he stressed the need for the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), which he called an “essential, verifiable security tool”.
“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,” he added.