Closing the Door on Nuclear Testing to Honor Past Generations and Build a Better Future for the Next Generations
Shizuka Kuramitsu, Research Assistant, Arms Control Association, and former participant of the #Leaders4Tomorrow project of the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs’ #Youth4Disarmament Programme
President of the General Assembly,
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
At the outset, allow me to thank His Excellency Dennis Francis, President of the General Assembly, and the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs for this opportunity. Thank you for your leadership in keeping the world’s attention on this priority issue as we commemorate the International Day Against Nuclear Testing of last week.
My name is Shizuka Kuramitsu - I am a former participant of the #Leaders4Tomorrow project of the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs’ #Youth4Disarmament Programme, who now working as a research assistant at a civil society organization called the Arms Control Association in Washington D.C.
As a representative of civil society and member of an emerging, younger generation of nuclear disarmament researchers and activists, I would like to share the following observations for Member States to consider.
Our generation is very concerned. We see growing dangers of nuclear weapons and feel aghast at the human consequences of past nuclear weapons development, testing, and use.
I am a native of Hiroshima, where the first nuclear test explosion in warfare took place. I grew up surrounded by the A-bomb survivors in my hometown. I heard their testimonials from generations of hibakusha about the horrors of the first use of nuclear weapons in war.
As if the bombings of the people of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were not horrific and inhumane enough, the world's nuclear weapons states have detonated more than 2,000 nuclear weapon test explosions.
The adverse health, social, environmental, and enduring consequences of these detonations is still too poorly understood, and the victims and survivors are still in need of medical monitoring and assistance. Their voices need to be heard and answered.
We need more research, more resources, and more support for nuclear testing victims.
We need acknowledgement and apologies for the wrongs committed in the past.
We need to see a strong commitment to never repeat the evil of nuclear detonations.
About ten years ago, former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon said:
“The best way to honour the victims of past tests is to prevent any in the future.”
I agree.
But we must continually ask ourselves: Are we doing what is necessary to prevent further detonations for nuclear weapon testing or any nuclear detonations in a war in the future?
No, we are not.
Collectively, we are not doing enough to strengthen the taboo against the use and testing of nuclear weapons, not doing enough to halt a new arms race, and not doing enough to get back on track to build a world without nuclear weapons.
We must recall that generations of concerned citizens, scientists, diplomats, doctors, mothers and fathers from around the world pressed global leaders to ban nuclear testing in the atmosphere, then everywhere through the 1996 CTBT.
Even though the treaty has not yet entered into force, it remains one of the most successful nuclear risk reduction and nonproliferation agreements in history.
But we cannot take it for granted.
Just in the past months, a former national security official called for a resumption of U.S. nuclear testing, and another state withdrew its ratification of the CTBT.
As we observe another International Day Against Nuclear Testing, we must honor communities around the world that have been harmed by nuclear testing, and past generations who have fought for a global test moratorium.
We need more than statements, we need actions. Now is the time to do so by recommitting ourselves to prevent the resumption of nuclear testing through energetic, high-level, bilateral, and multilateral diplomacy through all possible channels, the UN General Assembly, the Security Council and beyond.
Going forward, we can rebuild relationships, break the trust deficit, stop the what-aboutism, and act in the interest of humanity.
As my generation knows, when we start telling ourselves that we're doing enough, we stop moving forward and improving as a person.
When we point fingers at one another, even young people know that we will fail to halt the arms race.
Failure must never be an option - particularly for my generation, who will inherit this world and live with its consequences.
On behalf of a concerned, younger generation, I call on all UN Member States, especially those that have conducted nuclear detonations in the past, to be accountable, and commit to all possible efforts to preserve the taboo against nuclear testing so my generation -- and the generations that follow -- can live in a world without the fear of nuclear explosions and in a world that is moving closer to the elimination of all nuclear weapons.
Thank you for your attention.