The United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres has issued a stark warning to world leaders, urging them to halt the threat of renewed nuclear detonations.
In a statement, shared on X handle on Friday, Guterres emphasised that nuclear testing remains a grave danger amid rising geopolitical tensions.
"Stop playing with fire," he said.
"Now is the time to silence the bombs before they speak again".
Guterres highlighted the devastating legacy of over 2000 nuclear tests conducted in the past 80 years, which have driven displacement, contaminated lands and oceans, and left survivors facing health crises passed down through generations.
"We must never forget the legacy of over 2,000 nuclear weapons tests carried out over the last 80 years — driving displacement & contaminating lands & oceans," he warned.
He urged states to ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, adopted by a large majority in 1996 but still not in force nearly three decades later.
The UN chief's warning comes as the world marks 80 years since the first nuclear test on July 16, 1945, in the New Mexico desert.
Guterres stressed that the world cannot accept the horrific legacy of nuclear tests and urged leaders to work towards a world free of nuclear weapons.
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