Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,
It is an honor to address you on the occasion of the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons on behalf of the International Committee of the Red Cross and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
This day is a stark reminder of our collective responsibility to rid the world of the most inhumane weapons ever created, and by doing so, to foster sustainable peace and lasting security.
Nuclear weapons pose an existential threat to humanity. Their use, especially in or near populated areas, would cause massive casualties and devastation, leading to incalculable human suffering. A nuclear war would have a dramatic impact on human health, the environment, climate, food production and socio-economic development, with irreversible consequences for future generations.
The devastation witnessed by the Japanese Red Cross Society and the ICRC in Hiroshima and Nagasaki some eighty years ago is proof that no humanitarian response can adequately address the catastrophic aftermath of a nuclear detonation. The only way to prevent such suffering is through complete nuclear disarmament.
Eliminating nuclear weapons is not only a humanitarian and moral imperative but also a legal obligation under Article 6 of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).
We welcome the renewed commitment of world leaders to nuclear disarmament and their determination to accelerate progress towards achieving it, as recently agreed in the Pact for the Future.
But how can we get there?
First, a comprehensive ban on nuclear weapons is a necessary step in this direction.
The adoption and entry into force of the landmark Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) precisely signaled this crucial step, strengthening the nuclear taboo by means of a universally applicable prohibition – but one that did not come in a vacuum.
For one, international humanitarian law fully applies to the use of nuclear weapons, be it strategic or tactical, for offensive or defensive purposes. In the view of the ICRC, and of the broader Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, it is extremely doubtful that the use of nuclear weapons could ever comply with the rules and principles of IHL.
These are notably the principle of distinction and the prohibitions of indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks, the prohibition against weapons of a nature to cause superfluous injury or unnecessary suffering, as well as the rules protecting the natural environment.
Moreover, in the view of the ICRC, the use of and threat to use nuclear weapons is abhorrent to the principles of humanity and dictates of public conscience.
Second, through cooperation and synergies.
Today, almost half of all States in the world have joined or signed the TPNW. But the TPNW does not stand alone; it is an integral part of the broader nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation framework, which it complements and reinforces.
We urge all States that have not yet done so to join the TPNW, the NPT, the CTBT and the regional treaties establishing nuclear-weapon-free zones without delay.
Third, through taking urgent action to prevent the risk of deliberate or accidental use of nuclear weapons, pending their total elimination.
Amid rising global tensions, the modernization of nuclear arsenals, and enhanced deterrence doctrines, nuclear risk reduction measures are more important than ever.
States have long committed to many such measures under the NPT, including substantive reductions in nuclear arsenals, unequivocal commitments never to use nuclear weapons first, the removal from high operational alert, and steps to reduce their role in security policies.
It is urgent that all nuclear-weapon States now translate these commitments into action rather than unravel them under our very eyes. In addition, freezing all modernization efforts, condemning any threats to use nuclear weapons and raising awareness of their devastating humanitarian consequences also constitute important risk reduction measures.
And fourth, a nuclear-free world must also address the harm caused by past nuclear use and testing.
We urge all States to collaboratively provide meaningful assistance to victims of nuclear weapons and take measures to remediate the contaminated environment. Healing the wounds of the past is essential for building a peaceful future.
The Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement will continue to work tirelessly until we achieve a world where the shadow of nuclear weapons no longer looms over us.
Thank you.
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