UN Press Release: Commemorating International Day Against Nuclear Tests

The world-wide observance of the fifth annual International Day against Nuclear Tests will be on Friday, 29 August 2014. The day highlights the efforts of the United Nations and a growing community of advocates, including Member States, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, academic institutions, youth networks and media in informing and educating on the importance of a ban on nuclear weapons testing for the achievement of a safer and more secure world.

Activities ranging from symposia and conferences to exhibits are expected to take place throughout the world to call attention to the dangers of nuclear weapon test explosions, the threats posed to humans and the environment, and the need to ultimately eliminate all nuclear weapons and their testing.

Africa’s Contribution to a World Free of Nuclear Tests

31 August 2011

Amelia Broodryk, Researcher, Arms Management Programme

On 29 August, the international community observed the second International Day against Nuclear Tests. The UN General Assembly created the event in December 2009 through the unanimous adoption of resolution 64/35. This year, the International Day against Nuclear Tests also marked the 20th anniversary of the closure of the nuclear weapons test site at Semipalatinsk, Kazakhstan. According to UN resolution 64/35, the day is “devoted to enhancing public awareness and education about the effects of nuclear weapon test explosions or any other nuclear explosions and the need for their cessation as one of the means of achieving the goal of a nuclear-weapon-free world”. The UN Office for Disarmament will be hosting two events on the 1st and 2nd of September at the UN Headquarters in New York to commemorate the day – a high-level workshop looking at meeting the targets of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) action plan and an informal meeting of the General Assembly.

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