United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has warned that the threat of nuclear weapons is “accelerating and evolving,” urging world leaders to recommit to disarmament.
His message, delivered on Friday at a high-level meeting in New York to mark the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons, underscored the growing risks posed by modern technologies and escalating global tensions.
Speaking through his Chief of Cabinet, Courtenay Rattray, Guterres reminded delegates of the devastation of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, saying survivors had turned their suffering into a call for peace.
He cautioned that the world is “sleepwalking into a more complex, unpredictable and even more dangerous nuclear arms race,” with hypersonic missiles, cyberwarfare, outer space militarisation, and AI-driven systems increasing the risks of miscalculation.
“This is not just a crisis of weapons. It is a crisis of memory, responsibility, and courage,” Rattray said, announcing the formation of an independent scientific panel to study the effects of nuclear war and ensure responses are rooted in evidence.
He called on nuclear-armed states to return to dialogue, uphold commitments under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), and ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, while urging the U.S. and Russia to lead in cutting arsenals.
The annual observance on September 26, known as Nuclear Weapons Elimination Day, serves as a reminder of the international community’s pledge to prevent another nuclear catastrophe.
