UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres opened the 11th Review Conference of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) yesterday with a speech in which he warned of the myriad dangers to global peace and security. A few selected quotes from TASS follow:
“For the first time in decades, the number of nuclear warheads is on the rise. Nuclear testing is back on the table. Some governments are openly mulling the acquisition of these horrific weapons. Have we forgotten that a nuclear war cannot be won and must not be fought?” Guterres asked. The Secretary-General also noted that global military spending last year amounted to $2.7 trillion—13 times more than all worldwide development aid and comparable to the total GDP of the entire African continent.
“Nuclear sabers rattle once more. Mistrust rules the day. Hard-won norms are eroding. Arms control is dying,” Guterres said. He said that the global goal of eliminating nuclear weapons dates back to the very first resolution of the UN General Assembly in 1946. According to him, not so long ago, children learned to huddle under desks in case of a missile attack, and nuclear tests destroyed untouched natural territories and vulnerable communities. “Today, a state of collective amnesia has taken hold,” he warned.
