About NuclearAbolitionDay.org

Background 
 

Nuclear Abolition Day, officially called the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons, was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 2013 to  “enhance public awareness and education about the threat posed to humanity by nuclear weapons and the necessity for their total elimination, in order to mobilize international efforts towards achieving the common goal of a nuclear-weapon-free world.”

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The United Nations and nuclear abolition
The goal of global nuclear disarmament has been a priority of the United Nations since the UN was established in 1945. The very first resolution of the UN General Assembly (Res 1 (1) ), adopted on 24 January 24 1946, established an Atomic Energy Commission with a mandate to develop proposals for “the elimination of atomic weapons and all other major weapons adaptable to mass destruction.”
 

Since then, the United Nations has provided leadership, diplomatic support and a variety of forums for member states and civil society to advance nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament efforts. This has included actions (deliberations, negotiations, resolutions, reports, decisions and more) in the UN Security Council, UN General Assembly, Conference on Disarmament, International Court of Justice, UN Human Rights Council and by the UN Secretary-General and the UN Secretariat, including the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs. 
 

Nuclear disarmament obligation

In these forums, all UN member States have committed to the goal of the elimination of nuclear weapons, most recently, for example in the PACT for the Future adopted by consensus at the UN Summit of the Future on September 22, 2024. This is reinforced by the International Court of Justice and the UN Human Rights Committee, both of which have affirmed that there is a universal and unconditional obligation of all States to negotiate in good faith to achieve the comprehensive elimination of nuclear weapons. 

However, UN members are failing to implement this obligation. UN Secretary-General António Guterres reports that “Despite the enormous and existential risks these weapons pose to humanity, we are no closer to eliminating them than we were 10 years ago. In fact, we are heading in the wrong direction entirely. Not since the worst days of the Cold War has the specter of nuclear weapons cast such a dark shadow. Nuclear saber-rattling has reached a fever pitch. We have even heard threats to use a nuclear weapon.”  (UNSG statement to the September 2024 High Level Meeting on the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons). 

The International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons was established to strengthen global efforts to ensure implementation of the obligation to achieve global nuclear disarmament. 

 

What happens on the day?
Every year to commemorate September 26, the UN holds a high-level meeting of world leaders at the United Nations in New York to discuss “urgent and effective measures” to achieve global nuclear disarmament. However, participation in the event is not compulsory. A number of countries (primarily nuclear armed and allied countries) do not turn up, even though their leaders are in New York at this time for the annual high-level period of the UN General Assembly. 

One objective for Nuclear Abolition Day 2025 is to convince more of the nuclear armed and allied States to participate in the High-Level Meeting, and to engage in good faith in deliberations on measures and pathways to achieve a nuclear-weapon-free world. 

At the same time, citizens around the world organize events and undertake actions to support nuclear weapons abolition and to encourage governments to fulfil their nuclear disarmament obligations. Please visit our actions and events pages to join an action/event or add your own.