Antonio Guterres: UN Secretary General

The UN Secretary-General António Guterres, has expressed concern over the 15,000 nuclear weapons stockpiled by countries and called for intensified efforts on nuclear disarmament.

The UN scribe made the call on Sunday in New York in his message to mark the anniversary of the dropping of atomic bomb by the US on the Japanese city of Hiroshima.

The message was delivered on his behalf by Mr Izumi Nakamitsu, the UN Representative for Disarmament Affairs at the annual memorial held in Hiroshima, Japan, for the victims of the atomic bomb dropped on the city in 1945.

Guterres urged UN member states to intensify their efforts in the shared pursuit of a nuclear-weapons-free world.

“Our dream of a world free of nuclear weapons remains far from reality.

“The states possessing nuclear weapons have special responsibility to undertake concrete and irreversible steps on nuclear disarmament,” Guterres stressed.

He warned against the stockpile of 15,000 nuclear weapons and dangerous rhetoric regarding their use.

He said, “the world looks to Hiroshima, as the city-built on ‘resilience and hope’ – has come back from the tragic event 72 years ago.

“Your determination for peace is an inspiration to the world,” Guterres added.

He referred to the adoption in July 2017 of the treaty on the prohibition of nuclear weapons by UN member states as a   positive development.

He noted that adoption of the treaty was the outcome of the campaign focused on the unconditional unacceptability of the use of nuclear weapons.

The UN scribe acknowledged the invaluable contribution made by Hiroshima’s message of peace and the heroic efforts of hibakushas, or survivors of the atomic bombs.

“They reminded the world of the devastating humanitarian consequences of nuclear weapons, Guterres said, and expressed UN support for global effort for a world free of nuclear weapons.

(NAN)