Today, September 26th 2024, marks the 10th annual UN-designated International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons, which was marked at the UN with a high level meeting in which the Secretary General of the UN Antonio Guterres made remarks calling on nuclear-weapon states to “stop gambling with humanity’s future,” starting with honoring their commitments and meeting their disarmament obligations. He continued, “Until nuclear weapons are eliminated, these States should commit to never use them under any circumstances. And they must demonstrate the utmost transparency in all matters related to nuclear weapons.”
This day is intended as an annual commemoration to raise public awareness about the threat posed by nuclear weapons as well as the necessity for their total elimination.
We urge states to recommit to nuclear disarmament as a priority for humanity!
Unfortunately, the nuclear weapons states are currently taking actions that only increase nuclear tensions and risks. The U.S. continues full steam ahead on its $2 trillion nuclear modernization program, which is happening right here at Livermore Lab as well as all the sites across the nuclear weapons complex. China carried out its first publicly acknowledged ICBM test in decades this week, seeming to follow a pattern established by Russia , the US (as well as India, Pakistan and North Korea) in testing nuclear capable missiles in recent months. And yesterday, Russia publicly announced a change to the Russian nuclear doctrine that determines when Russia would use nuclear weapons. It is now expanded to consider nuclear responses to attacks by non-nuclear powers that have the support of nuclear-armed states. Additionally, the policy about only using nuclear weapons “if the survival of the state was in jeopardy” was modified to “responding to a critical threat to its sovereignty.”
On a more positive note, three nations, Indonesia, Sierra Leone, and the Soloman Islands ratified the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons yesterday, September 25, 2024, bringing the total number of states parties to 73!
So, cheers to those countries and may the movement for a world without nuclear weapons continue to grow stronger! And thank you for doing your part by continuing your involvement in Tri-Valley CAREs.
