General Assembly President, Mission of Kazakhstan to Convene Informal Meeting in Commemoration of International Day against Nuclear Tests, 6 September (29 August 2012) [...]

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The worldwide observance of the third annual International Day against Nuclear Tests will be on Wednesday, 29 August.  The day highlights the efforts of the United Nations and a growing community of advocates, including Member States, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, academic institutions, youth networks and media in informing and educating on the importance of the nuclear‑test ban for the achievement of a safer and more secure world.

Activities ranging from symposia and conferences to exhibitions and competitions are expected to take place throughout the world to call attention to the dangers of nuclear-weapon-test explosions, the threats posed to humans and the environment, and the need ultimately to eliminate all nuclear weapons and their testing.

Chosen by the General Assembly as the annual commemoration date against nuclear tests, 29 August marks the day in 1991 when Semipalatinsk, one of the world's largest test sites, was closed for good.  At United Nations Headquarters this year, the Day will be observed on 6 September in the format of an informal meeting convened by the President of the sixty-sixth session of the General Assembly, Nassir Abdelaziz al-Nasser, and organized in cooperation with the Permanent Mission of Kazakhstan.  The event will include a high-level panel on the role of the United Nations in nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation.

In addition to Assembly President Al-Nasser, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Timur Zhantikin, Chairman of the Atomic Energy Committee in Kazakhstan's Ministry of Industry and New Technologies, will deliver opening statements at the meeting.  The observance will focus broadly on drawing the world's attention to the abolition of nuclear-weapon testing and the goal of a world free of nuclear weapons.  Members of the high-level panel will present their insights on how the Organization can further promote progress on nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, and advance confidence-building, including through nuclear-weapon-free zones and other relevant measures.

The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) was opened for signature in 1996, but has yet to enter into force.  Guest speakers will share their observations on the current situation and the path forward towards a world free of nuclear weapons.

Established by General Assembly resolution 64/35, which was presented at the initiative of the President of Kazakhstan, the International Day against Nuclear Tests was first observed in 2010 to promote the idea that "every effort should be made to end nuclear tests in order to avert devastating and harmful effects on the lives of people […] and that the end of nuclear tests is one of the key means of achieving the goal of a nuclear-weapon-free world".

The complete programme line-up can be found at www.un.org/en/events/againstnucleartestsday/2012/events2012.shtml

For further information on the International Day and on nuclear tests-related issues, please visit www.un.org/en/no-nucleartests, which is available in all six official United Nations languages.

Contacts: United Nations Department of Public Information - Mikhail Seliankin, seliankin@un.org; United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs - Ewen Buchanan, buchanane@un.org; Permanent Mission of Kazakhstan to the United Nations - +1 212 230 1900, ext. 322 or 326.

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