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28.09.2022 General News

UN warns of threat of potential global catastrophe

UN warns of threat of potential global catastrophe
28.09.2022 LISTEN

The United Nations (UN) has warned that the global community faces the threat of potential global catastrophe and recommits to peace and has therefore called on countries to step back to avoid the tragedy.

“Let me be clear. The era of nuclear blackmail must end. The idea that any country could fight and win a nuclear war is deranged. Any use of a nuclear weapon would incite a humanitarian Armageddon. We need to step back.

“Nuclear weapons are the most destructive power ever created. They offer no security — just carnage and chaos. Their elimination would be the greatest gift we could bestow on future generations,” he said warning of the threat of ‘humanitarian Armageddon,’ the UN Secretary-General António Guterres has stated in a speech available to the Communication for Development and Advocacy Consult (CDA Consult) in Tema.

The UN Secretary-General was speaking at an event to commemorate the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons, held as the annual debate in the General Assembly Hall, UN Headquarters, New York.

“We need to take into account the evolving nuclear order, including all types of nuclear weapons and their means of delivery. And we need to address the blurring lines between strategic and conventional weapons, and the nexus with new domains of cyber and outer space,” Mr. Guterres said.

Mr. Guterres recalled that the Cold War had brought humanity “within minutes of annihilation. Yet decades after it ended, with the fall of the Berlin Wall, we can hear once again the rattling of nuclear sabres.

The UN Secretary-General expressed disappointment after countries failed to reach a consensus at a conference last August to review the landmark Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), the only binding commitment to the goal of disarmament by States which officially stockpile nuclear weapons.  

He said four weeks of intense negotiations at UN Headquarters, delegations left without an outcome document because Russia objected to the text about its control over Ukrainian nuclear facilities.

Mr. Guterres also underscored the need for a new vision for nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, pointing to his New Agenda for Peace, which calls for meaningful disarmament and developing a common understanding of the multiple threats facing the international community.

The UN Secretary-General also called for countries to leave New York with a new commitment to work towards a peaceful future, “without eliminating nuclear weapons, there can be no peace. There can be no trust. And there can be no sustainable future”.

The UN Chief pledged the commitment of the global body not to give up and urged countries “to use every avenue of dialogue, diplomacy, and negotiation to ease tensions, reduce risk and eliminate the nuclear threat.”

CDA Consult
CDA Consult

News ContributorPage: CDAConsult

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