September 26: International Day of Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons

September 26, 2020

Every year International Day of Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons is celebrated on September 26.

Significance

The day is important as it is based on the very basic reason the United Nations was established. The first resolution adopted by the UN was to achieve Global Nuclear Disarmament. In order to achieve this, the Atomic Energy Commission was established to make proposals to eliminate atomic weapons and control nuclear energy.

In spite of these efforts, today more than 13,400 nuclear weapons exist in the country.

START

START is Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty that was signed between the USSR and USA in 1991. The treaty barred the countries from using nuclear weapons and ballistic missile. It expired in 2009. The Strategic Offensive Reductions (SORT) was signed between the countries in 2003 and expired in 2011. The New START treaty followed the SORT and was signed in 2010. It expires in 2021.

However, none of the treaties limited the piling of nuclear warheads stocked by USA and Russia.

United Nations and Nuclear Weapons

In 1963, the Partial Test Ban Treaty was signed. It banned testing of nuclear weapons in outer space and under water.
In 1967, Treaty of Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin American and Caribbean was signed. It established the first nuclear weapon free zone.
In 1978, the UN held its first separate special session to Disarmament
In 1985, the south Pacific became the second nuclear weapon free zone under Treaty of Rarotonga.
In 1995, South East Asia became the third nuclear weapon free zone under Bangkok Treaty.
In 1996, under Pelindaba Treaty Africa became the fourth nuclear weapon free zone
In 2006 Treaty on Nuclear Weapon free Zone in Central Asia was signed that made Central Asia, the fourth zone to become free of nuclear weapons
In 2017, Treaty of Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons was signed. It is the first multilateral treaty that binded nuclear disarmament at large scale
In 2020, the 50^th anniversary of Treaty on Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons was celebrated.

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