The International Day against Nuclear Tests is
observed on August 29. It was established on December 2, 2009, at the 64th session of the
United Nations General Assembly
The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA or GA; french: link=no, Assemblée générale, AG) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), serving as the main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ of the UN. Curr ...
by the
resolution 64/35, which was adopted unanimously.
The resolution in particular calls for increasing
awareness
Awareness is the state of being conscious of something. More specifically, it is the ability to directly know and perceive, to feel, or to be cognizant of events. Another definition describes it as a state wherein a subject is aware of some in ...
"about the effects of
nuclear weapon test explosions or any other
nuclear explosion
A nuclear explosion is an explosion that occurs as a result of the rapid release of energy from a high-speed nuclear reaction. The driving reaction may be nuclear fission or nuclear fusion or a multi-stage cascading combination of the two, ...
s and the need for their cessation as one of the means of achieving the goal of a nuclear-weapon-free world".
The resolution was initiated by
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbeki ...
together with several sponsors and cosponsors to commemorate the closure of the
Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site on August 29, 1991.
Following the establishment of the International Day against Nuclear Tests, in May 2010 all state parties to the
Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons
The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, commonly known as the Non-Proliferation Treaty or NPT, is an international treaty whose objective is to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons technology, to promote cooperation ...
committed themselves to "achieve the peace and security of a world
without nuclear weapons".
Conferences
On September 15, 2014, the
Embassy of Kazakhstan in the United States in co-sponsorship with
Arms Control Association
The Arms Control Association is a United States-based nonpartisan membership organization founded in 1971, with the self-stated mission of "promoting public understanding of and support for effective arms control policies."
The group publishes th ...
,
Green Cross International, the
Embassy of Canada, and
the ATOM Project The ATOM Project (est. August 2012) is an international campaign by the Nazarbayev Center of Kazakhstan. The primary goal of the campaign is to build international support for the abolishment of nuclear testing. ATOM stands for "Abolish Testing. ...
held a conference "Nuclear Weapons Testing: History, Progress, Challenges" commemorating United Nations International Day Against Nuclear Tests. The conference took place at the
U.S. Institute of Peace in Washington, D.C.
This conference was focused on the issue of nuclear weapons testing and the road forward for the
Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty
The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) is a multilateral treaty to ban nuclear weapons test explosions and any other nuclear explosions, for both civilian and military purposes, in all environments. It was adopted by the United Nati ...
.
[ The keynote presenters included the U.S. Secretary of Energy Ernest J. Moniz, the U.S. Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Rose E. Gottemoeller, the U.S. Under Secretary of Energy and NNSA Administrator Frank J. Klotz, and the Executive Secretary of ]CTBTO
The Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization, or CTBTO Preparatory Commission, is an international organization based in Vienna, Austria, that is tasked with building up the verification regime of the Com ...
Lassina Zerbo.
In popular culture
* '' NationStates'', a popular multiplayer government simulation browser game
A browser game or a "flash game" is a video game that is played via the internet using a web browser. They are mostly free-to-play and can be single-player or multiplayer.
Some browser games are also available as mobile apps, PC games, or on ...
, celebrates the International Day against Nuclear Tests in a surprising way. On August 29th of every year, nations are granted the ability to use nuclear weapons against each other, leading to a violent multifaceted nuclear war. This tradition started after the mini-games initial appearance on the site for April Fools' Day
April Fools' Day or All Fools' Day is an annual custom on 1 April consisting of practical jokes and hoaxes. Jokesters often expose their actions by shouting "April Fools!" at the recipient. Mass media can be involved in these pranks, which may ...
2017, and subsequent user requests to make this a regular event.
See also
* Global Zero, an international non-partisan group of 300 world leaders dedicated to achieving the elimination of nuclear weapons.
* Greenpeace International, a non-governmental
A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in ...
environmental
A biophysical environment is a biotic and abiotic surrounding of an organism or population, and consequently includes the factors that have an influence in their survival, development, and evolution. A biophysical environment can vary in scal ...
organization with offices in over 41 countries and headquarters in Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...
, Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
.International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons
The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (abbreviated to ICAN, pronounced ) is a global civil society coalition working to promote adherence to and full implementation of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. The camp ...
* International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, which had affiliates in 41 nations in 1985, representing 135,000 physicians;[ IPPNW was awarded the ]UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international coope ...
Peace Education Prize in 1984 and the Nobel Peace Prize
The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Swedish industrialist, inventor and armaments (military weapons and equipment) manufacturer Alfred Nobel, along with the prizes in Chemistry, Physics, Physiolo ...
in 1985.Profile from Helix Magazine
* Pax Christi International, a Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
group which took a "sharply anti-nuclear stand".Lawrence S. Wittner
Lawrence S. Wittner (born May 5, 1941 in Brooklyn, New York) is an American historian who has written extensively on peace movements, foreign policy, and economic inequality.
Biography
He attended Columbia College (B.A., 1962), the University ...
(2009). ''Confronting the Bomb: A Short History of the World Nuclear Disarmament Movement'', Stanford University Press, pp. 164-165.Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs
The Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs is an international organization that brings together scholars and public figures to work toward reducing the danger of armed conflict and to seek solutions to global security threats. It was f ...
* Sōka Gakkai, a peace-orientated Buddhist
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...
organisation, which held anti-nuclear exhibitions in Japanese cities during the late 1970s, and gathered 10 million signatures on petitions calling for the abolition of nuclear weapons.[Lawrence S. Wittner (2009). ''Confronting the Bomb: A Short History of the World Nuclear Disarmament Movement'', Stanford University Press, p. 128.][Lawrence S. Wittner (2009). ''Confronting the Bomb: A Short History of the World Nuclear Disarmament Movement'', Stanford University Press, p. 125.]
* United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs
References
External links
*{{Official website, https://www.un.org/en/observances/end-nuclear-tests-day
Text of the U.N. resolution 64/35
August observances
Anti–nuclear weapons movement
Nuclear weapons testing
Nuclear weapons policy
Recurring events established in 2009
United Nations days