Statments
International Day against Nuclear Tests
The world's first nuclear weapons experiment was conducted on July 16, 1945 in New Mexico, when the United States tested its first nuclear bomb.
On August 6, 1945, the United States dropped an atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. It killed and wounded nearly 130,000 people. Three days later, the United States bombed Nagasaki. Of the 286,000 people living there at the time of the blast, 74,000 were killed and another 75,000 sustained severe injuries. Japan agreed to an unconditional surrender on August 14, 1945, it also resulted in the end of World War II.
The world was changed with the dropping of the atomic bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
These Nuclear explosions have been detonated in all environments: above ground, underground and underwater, the nuclear tests left serious negative effects for local populations; the damage caused to the environment is irreversible; and the nuclear arms race is threatening millions of innocent lives.
In 1954, Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru of India called for a ban on nuclear testing. It was the first large-scale initiative to ban using nuclear technology for mass destruction, But the United States, the Soviet Union and Great Britain conducted several nuclear weapons tests, and France exploded its first nuclear device in 1960. China entered the "nuclear arms club" in October 1964. In 1974 India conducted its first nuclear test, followed by Pakistan.
2003 North Korea entered the nuclear race.
The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) is a multilateral treaty by which states agree to ban all nuclear explosions in all environments, for military or civilian purposes. It was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 10 September 1996 but it has not entered into force due to the non-ratification of eight specific states.
On 2 December 2009, the 64th session of the United Nations General Assembly declared 29 August the International Day against Nuclear Tests by unanimously adopting resolution 64/35. The resolution calls for increasing awareness and education "about the effects of nuclear weapon test explosions or any other nuclear explosions and the need for their cessation as one of the means of achieving the goal of a nuclear-weapon-free world."
Despite the dangers of nuclear weapon, the United Nation has accepted the importance and development of nuclear energy for the benefit of the people. Every country has the right to peaceful use of nuclear energy. As a watchdog for peaceful use of nuclear energy International Atomic Energy Agency has been set up as a U.N. Agency in Vienna which monitor the peaceful use of nuclear energy by any county.
The Afro Asian People's Solidarity Organization emphasizing the essential role of the international community and civil society to make more efforts to end nuclear tests to achieve and implement the goal of nuclear weapons free world.
The Secretariat of AAPSO
26th August 2014
