Geneva (Web Desk): United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has expressed growing concerns over the increasing threat of nuclear conflict, stressing that the stability of global security frameworks is unraveling and military expenditures are on the rise.
"The nuclear option is not an option at all," he stated during his address to the UN Conference on Disarmament in Geneva. "It is a one-way road to annihilation. We need to avoid this dead-end at all costs."
Guterres painted a bleak picture of the current security situation, drawing attention to the deteriorating trust between nations, the weakening of international law, and the growing pressure on multilateral agreements.
He also pointed out that the "Doomsday Clock" had moved one second closer to midnight, a stark reminder of the increasing danger humanity faces. "Others are expanding their inventories of nuclear weapons and materials.
Some continue to rattle the nuclear sabre as a means of coercion. We see signs of new arms races including in outer space," Guterres observed. "And the weaponization of Artificial Intelligence is moving forward at an alarming pace."
Despite these troubling developments, the UN leader highlighted the Pact for the Future, adopted by world leaders at the General Assembly in September, as a positive step.
He described it as "the first new international nuclear disarmament agreement in over a decade" and a sign of hope.
Through the Pact, nations have also committed to revitalizing the United Nations' role in disarmament efforts, he explained, and underscored the importance of holding accountable those who deploy chemical or biological weapons.
In his closing remarks, Guterres called on delegates to prevent a space-based arms race through renewed negotiations, urging stronger engagement from the UN in matters of disarmament and global security.
"Humanity is counting on us to get this right. Let us keep working to deliver the safe, secure, and peaceful world that every person needs and deserves," he concluded.
The Conference on Disarmament, which includes 65 member states, remains the primary platform for negotiating arms control and disarmament agreements.
This forum has been instrumental in the development of critical treaties, including the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT).
Its agenda covers urgent issues such as nuclear disarmament, the prevention of an arms race in space, and addressing the threats posed by new weapons of mass destruction.
Non-member states also participate in the discussions, with 50 countries joining the conference in 2019, marking the highest level of involvement in two decades.
