The world’s nuclear dilemma is back in the spotlight, as global leaders gathered in New York on the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons. The high-level United Nations meeting, which took place on September 29, 2025, was marked by urgent warnings from top officials, renewed calls for disarmament, and a frank acknowledgment that the threat of nuclear weapons is not only persisting, but growing more complex.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, through a statement delivered by his Chef de Cabinet Courtenay Rattray, set the tone with a stark assessment. According to the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP), Guterres warned that “nuclear weapons continue to menace our world,” and despite decades of promises, “the threat is accelerating and evolving.” He invoked the memory of Hiroshima and Nagasaki—cities devastated by atomic bombs 80 years ago—and paid tribute to the hibakusha, survivors who have “turned their suffering into a call for peace.”
But Guterres’s message was hardly one of nostalgia or mere remembrance. Instead, he issued a wake-up call: “We are sleepwalking into a more complex, unpredictable and even more dangerous nuclear arms race.” New technologies, from hypersonic missiles to deep-sea drones, and new arenas of potential conflict like cyberspace and outer space, have “erased the margin for error,” Rattray said. He stressed, “This is not just a crisis of weapons. It is a crisis of memory, responsibility, and courage.”
In response to these mounting risks, the UN announced the formation of an independent scientific panel tasked with assessing the effects of nuclear war and ensuring that the world’s response is grounded in rigorous evidence. Rattray highlighted the importance of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), calling it a cornerstone of global security, but cautioned, “There exist no ‘right’ conditions for disarmament and it will never happen if we keep waiting.” His message was clear: “Disarmament is not the reward for peace – it is the foundation of peace.”
Rattray urged nuclear-armed states to return to dialogue, implement confidence-building measures, and ensure that the decision to launch nuclear weapons remains firmly in human hands—not delegated to artificial intelligence. He also called on all countries to ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, which prohibits nuclear testing, and specifically pressed the United States and Russia to negotiate reductions in their nuclear arsenals. “These steps alone will not build a world without nuclear weapons. But without them, we surrender our future to fear – and silence the promise of peace,” he said.
General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock added her voice to the chorus of concern, warning of the “complex” dangers posed by nuclear weapons today. According to APP, Baerbock highlighted the risk of nuclear arms falling into the hands of terrorists and the growing threat posed by artificial intelligence on the battlefield. She argued that treaties alone are insufficient unless states honor their commitments, and advocated for a “no first use” policy, as well as shifting resources away from the arms race and toward pressing issues like climate action.
Baerbock also encouraged the international community to consider how nuclear technology can benefit humanity, such as through cancer treatment and environmental monitoring, provided it is used constructively and safely.
The urgency of these warnings was echoed by leaders from around the world. President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah of Namibia, speaking at the same UN meeting, called for the responsible and accountable use of nuclear energy. She emphasized the need for comprehensive safeguards to ensure transparency and safety in the development of nuclear technology, according to The Namibian. “Namibia calls for the accountable use of nuclear energy and ensures that comprehensive safeguards are in place to remove any limitations and restrictions on the use of nuclear material, equipment and technology for peaceful purposes,” she said.
Namibia, the world’s third-largest uranium producer, has a particular stake in the debate. Nandi-Ndaitwah stressed that while her country supports the peaceful use of atomic energy, it strongly opposes nuclear weapons. She called for transparent cooperation and technology sharing to improve lives globally, especially through advances in nuclear medicine and cancer care for developing countries. Namibia is also seeking membership in the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), which regulates nuclear trade to ensure it is used for peaceful purposes—a move that underscores its commitment to non-proliferation.
Nandi-Ndaitwah’s remarks were grounded in history, as she reminded delegates of the catastrophic consequences of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. She warned that the modernization of nuclear arsenals remains a threat, and argued that “the immediate goal is the elimination of the danger of a nuclear war and implementation of measures to avoid an arms race and clear the path towards lasting peace.”
But as the world’s attention turns to disarmament, the practicalities of arms control remain as thorny as ever. According to Devdiscourse, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov suggested that nuclear arms reduction talks should initially involve the US and Russia—the two countries with the largest nuclear arsenals—but must eventually include Britain and France. This comes amid a proposal to extend the New START treaty limits for another year, contingent on mutual agreement. The New START treaty, which currently caps deployed strategic nuclear warheads at 1,550 for both the US and Russia, is nearing expiration.
The White House, for its part, has indicated interest in the proposal, but any final decision rests with President Donald Trump. Trump has expressed an intention to initiate denuclearization talks with both Russia and China, recognizing the bilateral nature of these efforts within the New START framework. The inclusion of Britain and France, each possessing smaller nuclear arsenals, is increasingly seen as essential for any future arms control regime.
These discussions highlight the broader implications for global security and strategic stability. More than 12,000 nuclear warheads still exist today, and over half of the world’s population lives in countries that either possess nuclear weapons or are part of nuclear alliances, according to the United Nations. The risk that nuclear weapons could fall into the wrong hands, or that new technologies could trigger accidental escalation, remains ever-present.
As the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons—observed annually on September 26 since its establishment in 2013—reminds the world, the stakes could hardly be higher. The messages from New York this week were clear: disarmament is not a distant dream, but an urgent necessity, demanding courage, cooperation, and above all, action.
