During a high-level meeting of the General Assembly, Guterres noted that 81 years after the US bombing of the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, such weapons continue to cast a shadow over humanity.

  Nuclear arsenals are expanding and being modernized. Threats regarding their use are growing louder. Just when they are needed most, the safeguards established over decades to contain these dangers are crumbling, he asserted.

  For the first time in more than half a century, there are no binding limits. This undermines the security of the entire international community. The 11th Review Conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons failed to reach a consensus on a substantive outcome.

  Likewise, the UN Disarmament Commission once again concluded its three-year cycle without formulating substantive recommendations, he added.

He also warned that “these are not merely diplomatic disappointments, but warning signs.”

  He urged all countries to collaborate constructively on any effort that brings us closer to our common goal: the total elimination of such devices.

  These instruments of death must not decide humanity’s fate. A divided world can never justify inaction. We know the danger and the consequences. We know we must do everything possible to change course. Let us replace threats with dialogue, he concluded.

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