In a statement, the UN chief noted that this date comes amid rising geopolitical tensions and risks, including the disturbing prospect of a return to nuclear testing.

He also noted that the recent 80th anniversary of the United States dropping the atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima, which killed approximately 70,000 people, and a similar number died during the following five years from injuries related to the device.

Just three days later, on August 9, 1945, the aggressor army dropped a second bomb on the Japanese city of Nagasaki, destroying an area of ​​7.7 square kilometers and leaving tens of thousands dead.

Guterres recalled that since then, more than 2,000 tests have been carried out with devastating consequences for humanity.

The effects were terrible. Nuclear tests cause displacement and contaminate land and oceans. They sow the seeds of long-term health crises, including cancer and other chronic diseases, he said.

They also deepen the cracks in the foundations of trust, stability, and peace. We cannot accept this.

The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty remains the only internationally agreed legally binding instrument to end nuclear testing, he added.

He also affirmed that “its long-awaited entry into force is more urgent than ever.”

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