UNITED NATIONS: In a stark and impassioned address to the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres issued a grave warning, declaring that the world is teetering on the brink of a new nuclear arms race that could lead to “annihilation.” Guterres called for urgent and concerted international efforts to halt the proliferation of nuclear weapons and ultimately eliminate them.
Guterres sounded the alarm as nuclear-armed nations continue to expand and modernize their arsenals, raising the specter of a dangerous escalation in global nuclear capabilities. “A worrisome new arms race is brewing. The number of nuclear weapons could rise for the first time in decades,” Guterres cautioned, delivering his message on the final day of the General Assembly’s annual session.
He emphasized the catastrophic consequences of any use of a nuclear weapon, stating, “Any use of a nuclear weapon—anytime, anywhere, and in any context—would unleash a humanitarian catastrophe of epic proportions.” Expressing concern over the current state of affairs, Guterres said, “Nuclear sabers are again being rattled. This is madness. We must reverse course.”
Increased Investment in Nuclear Arsenals
In June, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) reported that the world’s nuclear powers, with China at the forefront, had increased investments in their nuclear arsenals for a third consecutive year in 2022.
Although the total number of nuclear warheads held by several nations had seen a slight decrease to 12,512, down 1.6% from the previous year, SIPRI warned that this declining trend was on the verge of reversal. When excluding warheads scheduled for dismantling, the number of usable nuclear weapons had actually risen, with China significantly increasing its stockpile from 350 to 410 warheads.
Furthermore, North Korea has intensified its testing of delivery systems for nuclear weapons, such as long-range missiles and submarines.
Guterres underscored the urgency of the situation and expressed concern that nuclear powers are making their arsenals more advanced, accurate, and harder to detect. He noted that the framework for preventing nuclear proliferation and advancing disarmament had eroded over time.
To steer the world towards nuclear disarmament, Guterres called on countries to commit to never using their nuclear weapons “under any circumstances.” He urged the revitalization and reinforcement of the Treaties on Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. Additionally, he pressed for the implementation of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, which, despite being adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1996, remains unenforced due to the reluctance of several key nations to join.
“The world has spent too long under the shadow of nuclear weapons. Let’s step back from the edge of disaster,” Guterres implored, emphasizing the imperative for collective action to prevent a perilous nuclear arms race and its potentially catastrophic consequences.
