UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 29 (Xinhua) -- The UN General Assembly on Tuesday held a high-level plenary meeting to mark the International Day Against Nuclear Tests.
UN General Assembly President Csaba Korosi, who chaired the meeting, warned of "a global catastrophe" brought by nuclear weapons.
"We see many signs that nuclear stockpiles and capabilities are growing, contravening the NPT (Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons)," he said. "We are closer than any other time in this century to global catastrophe. And yet we fail to see the terrifying trap that we have set for humanity by betting on nuclear weapons."
Korosi said investment in and ongoing modernization of nuclear weapons is incompatible with humanity's goals, aspirations, and promises. There is a need for a human-centered approach to disarmament -- one focused on preventing suffering and pointless environmental destruction, and one implemented through an inclusive and consistent multilateral process.
"We cannot allow the dangers to grow. The CTBT (Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty) is a key part of the international disarmament structure. It has created a powerful norm against nuclear testing. Yet, its failure to enter into force -- 27 years after its adoption -- is a serious loophole in our global framework," he said.
He warned that the use of any nuclear weapon for any purpose will immediately spiral out of control. The so-called "limited nuclear war" does not exist.
"For the safety of everyone around the globe, we must continue working toward a world free from the nuclear threat," he added.
Before the General Assembly meeting, Korosi joined a symbolic walk to mark the International Day Against Nuclear Tests, which falls on Aug. 29. Also participating were UN Undersecretary-General for Disarmament Affairs Izumi Nakamitsu and Robert Floyd, the executive secretary of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization.
In a message on the international day, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said a legally binding prohibition on nuclear tests is a fundamental step toward a world free of nuclear weapons.
The CTBT, though not yet in force, remains a powerful testament to humanity's will to lift the shadow of nuclear annihilation from the world, once and for all, he said.
The CTBT was adopted by the UN General Assembly in September 1996. But it has not entered into force. ■
