International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons

United Nations events

The International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons was established by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to be commemorated on September 26, the anniversary of the first ever UNGA High Level Meeting for Nuclear Disarmament in 2013.

The United Nations will host two commemorative events:

• September 25 at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, organised by UNFOLD ZERO and PNND. The event will feature speakers from the United Nations, co-sponsoring governments, parliamentarians and civil society. See UN in Geneva to hold commemorative event on September 25;
• September 26 at UN Headquarters in New York organised by the Permanent Mission of Indonesia to the United Nations. The President of the UN General Assembly has invited Foreign Ministers of all UN member States to attend (see invitation letter). Many of the Foreign Mnisters are in New York at this time for the Climate Summit and opening plenary of the United Nations General Assembly.

Please call on your government to attend the Geneva event on Sep 25 at ambassador level and the New York event on Sep 26 at ministerial level.

Parliamentary support:

In March 2014, the Inter Parliamentary Union (comprising 164 member parliaments), adopted a resolution which, among other things, calls on parliaments and parliamentarians to commemorate the day.

Parliamentarians can promote the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons by:

• Requesting the Speaker/President of their parliament to note the day with a statement of support (see sample statement);
• Lodging a motion or making a statement in parliament to support the day (see attached sample statement/motion);
• Joining the global Sep 26 action 'How many nuclear weapons in the world?'

Already, the PNND European Parliament Section, PNND Japan Section and PNND Korea Section are gathering endorsements on joint parliamentary statements supporting the day which will be presented to the UN at one of the UN commemoration events.

• PNND European Parliament Statement
• PNND Korea Statement (List of endorsers)
• PNND Japan Statement (List of endorsers)

In Costa Rica the parliament has adopted by consensus a resolution submitted by PNND members Natalia Díaz Quintana and Michael Arce Sancho, in which the National Assembly of Costa Rica expresses concern at the dangers posed by nuclear weapons, notes that any use of nuclear weapons would cause catastrophic humanitarian consequences, welcomes the consensus resolution of the 130th Assembly of the Inter Parliamentary Union calling for negotiations on a nuclear weapons convention or package of similar global agreements, and calling on parliaments around the world to support the day.

The day is supported by UNFOLD ZERO and the United Nations Office of Disarmament Affairs. UNFOLD ZERO provides a platform for governments, parliaments and civil society to post announcements, photos and reports of actions and events to commemorate this day.

See also:

• PNND and UNFOLD ZERO video interview with UN High Representative Angela Kane discussing the International Day;
• Video statement of Martin Chungong, IPU Secretary-General, on parliamentary support for the day and for its aims.