Geneva, August 29, 2025 – The Permanent Mission of Kazakhstan to the United Nations Office in Geneva, in collaboration with Parliamentarians for Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament (PNND) and supported by the Permanent Mission of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Basel Peace Office, World Future Council, and Youth Fusion, hosted a commemoration event for the International Day Against Nuclear Tests at the Palais des Nations.

The event convened diplomats, parliamentarians, and civil society representatives, to discuss the devastating effects of nuclear tests, the inhumane nature of nuclear weapons, and the need for global disarmament. Speakers addressed commitments under international treaties, such as the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), and Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW).

H.E. Mr. Yerlan Alimbayev, Permanent Representative of Kazakhstan to the United Nations Office in Geneva, addressed the gathering, noting that August 29 serves as a powerful reminder of the humanitarian consequences of nuclear testing on public health, the environment, and cultural heritage. He highlighted the closure of the Semipalatinsk test site, driven by the “Nevada-Semipalatinsk” anti-nuclear movement and the will of the Kazakh people, as a milestone that contributed to the adoption of the CTBT in 1996. Ambassador Alimbayev emphasized Kazakhstan’s continued leadership in nuclear disarmament, echoing President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s call for global cooperation to ensure such tragedies are never repeated.

The event featured contributions from H.E. Ms. Doreen DeBrum, Permanent Representative of the Marshall Islands to the UN in Geneva; Ms. Mélanie Régimbal, Geneva Office Chief of Service, United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA); General Bernard Norlain, President of Initiatives pour le Désarmement Nucléaire; Mr. Marc Finaud, Vice-President of Initiatives pour le Désarmement Nucléaire; Ms. Laurence Marzal, Senior Programme Officer, Technical Cooperation, Peace and Security, Inter-Parliamentary Union; and Ms. Natia Ninoshvili, PNND Program Officer and Youth Fusion Liaison Officer. The discussion was moderated by Mr. Alyn Ware, PNND Global Coordinator and Program Officer for the World Federalist Movement.

Established by the UN General Assembly in 2009, the International Day Against Nuclear Tests promotes global awareness of the devastating effects of nuclear weapon test explosions and the need for their cessation to achieve a nuclear-weapon-free world. This date also marks the historic closure of the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site in Kazakhstan on August 29, 1991. In 2025, the event carries added significance, coinciding with the 80th anniversary of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Source : https://www.gov.kz/memleket/entities/mfa-geneva/press/news/details/1059638?lang=kk