Disarmament

Matthew Hollingworth, Humanitarian Coordinator ad interim in South Sudan condemned a letter, reportedly from a youth group in Pibor, demanding that at least 30 humanitarian workers leave the area within 72 hours.  More than 80 humanitarian workers were relocated and non-life-saving aid activities suspended for 48 hours.

The proliferation and stockpiling of illicit weapons continue to threaten international peace and security, exacerbating the plight of civilians in strife-torn countries worldwide, the senior United Nations disarmament official told the Security Council today.

Marking the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons, the Secretary-General told the General Assembly high-level event that the nuclear threat has reached its highest level in close to 40 years and urged States to support the goals of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.

There is need to galvanize action to swiftly and permanently rid the world of atomic bombs, especially as the global community grapples with the coronavirus, delegates said today during the General Assembly’s high-level meeting to commemorate and promote the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons.

Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks to the high‑level meeting of the General Assembly to commemorate the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons, held today:

The nuclear test ban treaty adopted 25 years ago has already established a powerful norm against atomic testing, achieving near‑universal compliance before its entry into force, speakers told the Security Council today, denouncing just one country for being the only violator in this century.

The Office for Children and Armed Conflict have released a new report covering 2019 and 2020 which documents grave violations committed against 3,500 children in Yemen, the most prevalent being the denial of humanitarian access, killing and maiming, and the recruitment and use of children.

Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ message, delivered by Izumi Nakamitsu, United Nations High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, to the Article XIV Conference of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, held today:

Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ message for the International Day of Peace for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons, observed on 26 September:

Following is the text of UN Secretary-General’s video message to the second Review Conference of the Convention on Cluster Munitions, in Geneva today: