We cannot continue living with the existential threat of nuclear weapons

This file photo taken on July 1946 shows the mushroom cloud forming after an atomic bomb explosion during nuclear tests carried out by the US military on Bikini Atoll in the Pacific Ocean. — AFP

TODAY, Sept 26, 2022, is International day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons. According to the United Nations, “This day provides an occasion for the world community to reaffirm its commitment to global nuclear disarmament as a priority. It provides an opportunity to educate the public – and their leaders – about the real benefits of eliminating such weapons, and the social and economic costs of perpetuating them.”

In this year of the 77th anniversary of the tragedies of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan during World War II, two important events on the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons were held. The most recent one is the 10th review conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons held from Aug 1 to 26, 2022, at UN headquarters in New York City.