UN chief: world one step from 'nuclear annihilation'

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned that the world is one step away from "nuclear annihilation" and faces dangers not seen since the Cold War. 

Guterres made the comments during a conference on the decades-old Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT), which seeks to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and eventually achieve a nuclear-free world.

In his opening address, Guterres said the pandemic-delayed meeting, which aims to review the landmark agreement, was taking place amid "nuclear danger not seen since the height of the Cold War.”

The conference is “an opportunity to hammer out the measures that will help avoid certain disaster, and to put humanity on a new path towards a world free of nuclear weapons,” he said.

“The risks of proliferation are growing and guardrails to prevent escalation are weakening,” Guterres added, pointing out that "crises - with nuclear undertones - are festering from the Middle East and the Korean Peninsula." 

Guterres called on conference participants to take action to avert nuclear disaster.  These included urgently reaffirming and strengthening “the 77-year-old norm against the use of nuclear weapons,” and working relentlessly toward eliminating nuclear weapons with new commitments to reduce arsenals. 

He also asked world leaders to address “the simmering tensions in the Middle East and Asia” and promote the peaceful use of nuclear technology.

“Future generations are counting on your commitment to step back from the abyss,” he told diplomats. “This is our moment to meet this fundamental test and lift the cloud of nuclear annihilation once and for all.”