Il Segretario Generale – Osservazioni in occasione della riunione di alto livello per la commemorazione della giornata internazionale per la completa eliminazione delle armi nucleari
New York, 26 Settembre 2023
Mr. President of the General Assembly, Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,
On this International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons, we remind ourselves of a fundamental truth.
The real only way to prevent the use of nuclear weapons is to eliminate them.
Any use of a nuclear weapon — anytime, anywhere and in any context — would unleash a humanitarian catastrophe of epic proportions.
This is not hyperbole.
This is the timeless message of the hibakusha — the survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
To them — and to the world — I have pledged to do everything within my power to gather countries around the need to wipe these devices of destruction off the face of the earth.
This is a matter of urgency.
A worrisome new arms race is brewing.
The number of nuclear weapons could rise for the first time in decades.
Hard-won norms to prevent their use, spread and testing are being undermined.
The global disarmament and non-proliferation architecture is eroding.
Nuclear arsenals are being modernized to make these weapons faster, more accurate, and stealthier.
Nuclear sabers are again being rattled.
This is madness.
We must reverse course.
First — nuclear-weapon States must lead the way.
I call on them to meet their disarmament obligations, and commit to never use nuclear weapons under any circumstances.
Second — we need to reinforce and re-commit to the nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation regime built over the decades.
This includes the Treaties on Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
It also includes the Comprehensive-Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty.
Though not yet in force, the Treaty remains a powerful testament of 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 without delay, and for those States that possess nuclear weapons to ensure a moratorium on all nuclear testing.
Enfin, troisièmement, nous devons redéployer des outils intemporels comme le dialogue, la diplomatie et la négociation pour apaiser les tensions et mettre fin à la menace nucléaire.
Ce dialogue doit s’étendre à toutes les catégories d’armes nucléaires.
Il doit également aborder l’interaction croissante entre les armes stratégiques et les armes classiques ainsi que le lien entre les armes nucléaires et les technologies émergentes telles que l’intelligence artificielle.
Les êtres humains doivent toujours garder le contrôle et la pleine responsabilité de toute décision d’utiliser des armes nucléaires.
Le désarmement et la prévention des conflits sont au cœur de la note d’orientation sur le Nouvel Agenda pour la paix, qui a été publiée récemment.
Cet Agenda représente une nouvelle occasion d’ouvrir la voie à un monde exempt d’armes nucléaires.
J’appelle tous les États Membres à se rallier à cette cause essentielle.
Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,
The world has spent too long under the shadow of nuclear weapons.
Let’s step back from the edge of disaster.
Let’s usher in a new era of peace for all people.
Let’s make history by consigning nuclear weapons to history.
Thank you very much.