UN Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Conference in New York
The UN Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty tenth review conference is held in New York after a two-year delay caused by the CoV pandemic. Even before Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, nuclear disarmament had stalled. Now, reducing the nearly 13,000 nuclear weapons worldwide is becoming even more difficult.
Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. / Picture: © Wikimedia Commons, Marc Baronnet, CC BY-SA 4.0
The proliferation of nuclear weapons is often viewed as a threat to international peace and security by the United Nations Security Council. For the United Nations, this conference is one of the most important events regarding world peace and security. The event will last until August 26.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov spoke at the Tenth Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken stressed the important role of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and reminded that the treaty was created at the "height of the Cold War". Back then Nuclear weapon states moved toward disarmament, including the United States. According to Blinken, the number of nuclear weapons in the U.S. stockpile is now nearly 90 percent lower than it was at its height in 1967.
Good to be in NYC at the @UN for the #NPTRevCon. For more than 50 years, the #NPT has been at the heart of the nuclear nonproliferation regime. Today, the U.S. reaffirms our commitment to preserving and strengthening this critical treaty for future generations. pic.twitter.com/ygAwjC2h71
— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) August 1, 2022
Countries without a nuclear arsenal or aspirations to have one will also be represented. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock planned to advocate for nuclear disarmament at the conference, saying before she left. "We must never lose sight of this goal, must persist when it comes to its implementation," said Baerbock, according to ORF.
According to ORF, Germany, along with 15 other countries, has made 22 proposals for nuclear disarmament, Baerbock said. If "even one millimeter" of progress is made in New York, it will be worth every effort, she said.
In addition to famous Foreign Ministers, Deputy Foreign Minister and Ambassadors, Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), also attended the conference.
Was an honour to address #NPTRevCon just now. Having spent much of my adult life in defending the non-proliferation cause, I have again urged delegates to recommit to the NPT and protect it. All the more important during this time of insecurity, fear and anxiety! pic.twitter.com/agLRhkv649
— Rafael MarianoGrossi (@rafaelmgrossi) August 1, 2022
IAEA Director-General Rafael Mariano Grossi spoke at the opening and called the conference vital to peace and development. According to Grossi, in this moment of "global uncertainty, anxiety, fear and distress," the world must "come together and recommit to the noble principles enshrined in the NPT: nuclear non-proliferation, disarmament, and to promote cooperation in peaceful uses of nuclear energy.” In closing his speech, Mr. Grossi reminded delegates of “the extraordinary achievement the NPT represents” and to further foster nuclear non-proliferation.