‘Only Way to Eliminate Nuclear Risk Is to Eliminate Nuclear Weapons’, Says Secretary-General, in Nagasaki Peace Memorial Message
Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ message, delivered by Izumi Nakamitsu, High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, to the Peace Memorial ceremony on the seventy-ninth anniversary of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, held today:
Nearly 80 years have passed since Nagasaki was incinerated by an atomic weapon. Sadly, the memories are still fresh for those that endured this horrific catastrophe.
At the United Nations Headquarters in New York, you can find a tangible example of those memories — a statue of Saint Agnes that was found in the ruins of a Roman Catholic cathedral in Nagasaki after the bomb exploded.
The back of the statue is charred and mottled from the unimaginable heat and radiation of the explosion — a terrifying reminder of the brutal power of these weapons.
But just as this city was rebuilt from the ashes into the vibrant, cosmopolitan city it is today, those that survived this nightmare have provided the foundation and inspiration to build a better, more peaceful and secure world.
They have taught us that it is not enough to remember what happened. We must demonstrate that we’ve learned the lessons of that terrible day with concrete action.
In doing so, we honour the victims. We honour the resilience of the people of Nagasaki. And, as always, we honour the bravery of the hibakusha — who have taken this tragedy and fashioned it into a tool for teaching others about the need for a world free of nuclear weapons.
Nagasaki is a gathering place for the global community — including young people — to find a way towards a more peaceful world. The United Nations is proud to stand with these voices of peace.
Eliminating these weapons is our highest disarmament priority. We must never allow such devastation again. And yet, I worry the lessons of nearly eight decades ago have not been learned.
The world is seeing greater and greater division and mistrust. We are seeing nuclear weapons — and the threat of their use — re-emerging as tools of coercion. We are seeing their return to the centre of national security strategies, putting us all at the risk of annihilation.
In the face of these threats, we must share the hibakusha’s courage and speak with one clear and united voice to rid the world of these apocalyptic weapons, once and for all.
The only way to eliminate the nuclear risk is to eliminate nuclear weapons. And we need new solutions to bring disarmament to life.
Next month’s Summit of the Future in New York will be a critical opportunity for countries to renew their commitment to multilateralism, sustainable development and peace, and adopt an actionable and forward-looking pact for the future to that end.
Disarmament, and a world free of nuclear weapons, must be a central part of these efforts. The cities of Nagasaki, Hiroshima and the hibakusha themselves deserve nothing less.