The 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly opened on September 10, welcoming leaders from across the world to deliberate on a series of pressing issues for humanity. This year’s High-Level Week (September 23-27) marks a crucial milestone in the global effort to accelerate progress towards the 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
September 26 is the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons. In 2013, the General Assembly declared the International Day with the purpose of enhancing public awareness and education about the threat posed to humanity by nuclear weapons.
Opening the high-level plenary meeting of the General Assembly to commemorate and promote the
International Day, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres pointed out that despite the colossal risk, humanity “is no closer to the elimination than it was ten years ago”. The President of the General Assembly Philémon Yang stressed the importance of the newly adopted Pact for the Future, through which, new hope rises concerning the world’s recommitment to prevent any use of nuclear weapons. To underline the necessity of all states committing to the cause, the President stressed “There is no scenario in which the use does not end in catastrophe for us all”.