International Day Against Nuclear Tests: A Call for Peace

Historical Context and Significance

• Observed annually on August 29th since 2009
• Commemorates the closure of the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site in Kazakhstan on August 29, 1991
• Established by the United Nations General Assembly through Resolution 64/35
• Aims to raise awareness about the devastating effects of nuclear testing
• Over 2,000 nuclear tests conducted since 1945, causing long-term environmental and health impacts

Global Impact of Nuclear Testing

• Environmental consequences: contamination of soil, water, and air
• Health effects: increased cancer rates, genetic mutations, and long-term health issues
• Social and economic impacts on affected communities
• Psychological trauma and displacement of populations near test sites
• Ongoing effects felt decades after testing has ceased

International Efforts and Agreements

• Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) adopted in 1996, yet to enter into force
• UN Secretary-General's disarmament agenda "Securing our Common Future" (2018)
• Ongoing advocacy for ratification of CTBT by all 44 Annex 2 countries
• Role of non-governmental organizations and civil society in promoting nuclear disarmament
• Challenges in achieving universal adherence to nuclear test bans

Current Challenges and Future Outlook

• Recent calls for resumption of nuclear testing by some nations
• Ongoing modernization of nuclear arsenals by nuclear-weapon states
• Tensions between nuclear and non-nuclear states in disarmament forums
• Importance of education and public awareness in preventing nuclear proliferation
• Need for continued international cooperation and dialogue

Countries and their Nuclear Weapon

• According to latest data, countries and number of nuclear weapons given. This data keep changing time to time.