UN Secretary-General: The closure of the Semipalatinsk test site signaled the end of the era of unrestrained nuclear testing

New York, 29 August 2021. UN Secretary-General António Guterres made a statement on the occasion of the International Day against Nuclear Tests, published on the Organization's website. The UN chief noted that today marks the 30th anniversary of the closure of the Semipalatinsk test site in Kazakhstan, the largest nuclear test site in the Soviet Union, which signaled the end of the era of unrestrained nuclear testing.

UN Secretary-General highlighted that nuclear tests caused enormous human suffering and environmental damage. “They had terrible consequences on the health of people living in affected areas. Many were relocated from their ancestral lands, disrupting their lives and livelihoods. Pristine environments and ecosystems were destroyed, which will take decades, if not centuries, to heal”, António Guterres stated.

The UN chief also noted that over the three decades following the closure of the Semipalatinsk test site, a norm against nuclear testing was gradually developed, and the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, the CTBT, was adopted.

The CTBT bans all explosive nuclear weapons tests anywhere, by any country, putting a brake on the nuclear arms race and providing a powerful barrier to the development of new nuclear weapons. However, the full potential of the CTBT has not been realized, as the treaty has not entered into force despite its near universal acceptance among States.

“The CTBT bans all explosive nuclear weapons tests anywhere, by any country, putting a brake on the nuclear arms race and providing a powerful barrier to the development of new nuclear weapons”, said the UN Secretary-General. He emphasized that the full potential of the CTBT has not been realized despite its near universal acceptance among States, and once again urged those states that have not yet ratified the treaty to do so without delay.

On September 8, 2021, the High-level plenary meeting of the UN General Assembly will be held in New York to advance the goals of the International Day against Nuclear Tests. At the same time, on 7-10 September at the UN headquarters, the Permanent Mission of Kazakhstan will display rare photographs and documentary video footage about the history and tragic legacy of the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site.

International Day against Nuclear Tests was declared by the UN General Assembly in 2009 at the initiative of Kazakhstan. The goal of this day is to pay tribute to the victims of nuclear tests and to raise awareness of the continuing threat such tests pose to the environment and international security.