UN chief calls for nuclear disarmament efforts

UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Tuesday called for efforts to forge a new path toward a world free of nuclear weapons.

Nuclear disarmament is not a favor, it is a binding legal obligation under the Non-Proliferation Treaty, he said at a high-level meeting to mark the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons. "As we mark this important day, it's time to forge a new path," he said.

States possessing nuclear weapons must return to dialogue to prevent any use of a nuclear weapon. Maintaining the decades-old reduction in global arsenals is essential to prevent another nuclear arms race. The United States and Russia must negotiate a successor framework to the expired New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty. All nuclear-weapon states must reduce the role of nuclear weapons in their security policies, said the UN chief.

"These devices of death must never decide the fate of humanity. A divided world cannot be an excuse for inaction. We know the danger and we know the consequences. We know that we have to do everything to change course: replace threats with dialogue, replace arms racing with arms control, replace paralysis with concrete action," said Guterres.

Nuclear arsenals are being expanded and modernized. The rattling of nuclear sabers is growing louder. Advances in technology are increasing the odds of mistake and miscalculation. And just when they are most needed, the safeguards built over decades to contain these dangers are breaking down, he noted.

"Humanity has lived under the nuclear shadow for more than eight decades. We must ensure that future generations do not. Let's choose a future free from nuclear weapons," said Guterres.