Some 2000 nuclear tests have been conducted since 1945, with devastating consequences for people and for our planet. The effects – on lives and livelihoods; on human health, including that of unborn children; on soil and groundwater; on animals, birds and marine life; on the atmosphere – reverberate across generations, with profound impacts on all aspects of sustainable development.

As we commemorate the International Day against Nuclear Tests today, I urge all States that have not done so to sign and ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, and I appeal to the international community to make progress on our shared vision of a world free of nuclear weapons – set out in the very first resolution of the UN General Assembly. This is the best way to honour the victims of past tests, and to ensure no more join their ranks in the future.