International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons — 26 September
#EliminateNuclearWeapons
Today, 26 September, the world marks the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons. It is a day for all countries to reaffirm their commitment to nuclear disarmament and a future free from these weapons.
Nuclear weapons remain the most dangerous weapons on earth. With immense explosive power, they can wipe out entire cities, kill millions of people, and cause catastrophic long-term damage to the environment and to future generations.
There are currently about 14,000 nuclear weapons in the world, held by nine countries — Russia, United States, France, China, United Kingdom, Pakistan, India, Israel and North Korea. Nuclear weapons have only been used twice in war, in the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 which ended the Second World War. Since then they have not been used, and the United Nations is working to ensure it stays that way.
From as early as 1946, the UN created the Atomic Energy Commission to deal with atomic weapons and all weapons of mass destruction. Over the years it has adopted many resolutions, including the Partial Test Ban Treaty and the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty in 1996, and in 2013 it declared 26 September as the Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons. The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons was signed in 2017 to make this vision a reality.
On this day, the UN holds events around the world to educate people about the threat nuclear weapons pose to humanity and to mobilize action toward their elimination.
At WAELE AFRICA Foundation, we join the global call for peace, dialogue over destruction, and a world where no nation needs nuclear weapons to feel secure. Africa is a nuclear-weapon-free zone, and our future must remain one of peace and human security.
A world without nuclear weapons is possible if we choose it.
#NoToNuclearWeapons
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