Secretary-General Urges Leaders to Strengthen Non-Proliferation Tools, Concerted Action towards Nuclear-Weapon-Free World in International Observance Message

Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ message for the International Day for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Awareness, observed on 5 March:

Humanity’s future depends on investing in the machinery of peace, not the machinery of war.

Yet global tensions are increasing, the nuclear threat is rising, and guardrails are eroding.  Meanwhile, small arms and light weapons are proliferating, and rapidly evolving technologies like artificial intelligence and quantum computing are deepening the dangers.

On this International Day for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Awareness, I urge leaders to strengthen the systems and tools that prevent the proliferation, testing and use of deadly weapons and live up to their disarmament obligations.

I also call for a concerted effort in meeting the disarmament commitments contained in the recently adopted Pact for the Future.  These commitments include working towards a world free of nuclear weapons, and new strategies to prevent the use of chemical and biological weapons, and to address the weaponization of outer space and the use of lethal autonomous weapons.

It’s time for leaders to put words into action and invest in disarmament solutions and the peaceful future every person deserves.