26 September 2022
Mr. Secretary-General,
Excellencies,
I thank all of you for your dedication to promoting this International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons.
I have been listening to your important statements.
Today, you have raised your voice for humanity.
You have emphasized the General Assembly’s duty to enhance opportunities for people to fulfil their potential.
You pointed out the increasingly significant role of the GA in bringing about peace.
You have spoken out against nuclear blackmail.
You have reaffirmed that nuclear weapons have no place in the world we want our children to inherit.
I encourage you to leave this Hall today with resolve in your hearts and solutions in your minds for ridding our world of the nuclear threat.
This call to our higher aspirations demands entry into force of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty.
It demands the launch of negotiations on a Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty.
It demands full cooperation with IAEA and the safe dismantling of nuclear stockpiles.
Without these actions, what security would our guarantees provide?
I am grateful to the civil society organizations that contributed to our debate today.
They brought us their spirit and determination to work hand in hand for peace and security all over the globe.
The statue of Saint Agnes – found in the ruins of Nagasaki, charred and mottled from the atomic blast – stands at the centre of our permanent UN collection today.
She is there to remind us of a past that must never be repeated.
For my part, I will heed her grim warning.
I will do whatever I can to bring us closer to our dream: a world that is safe from the scourge of war.
I thank you.
