29 August 2026, Geneva – At the initiative of the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the United Nations Office and other International Organizations in Geneva, a Peace March was held to commemorate the International Day against Nuclear Tests and the 35th anniversary of the closure of the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site.

The event was co-organized by the Basel Peace Office, Parliamentarians for Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament, and the Youth Fusion network.

The March took place within the framework of the global Kazakhstan-UN initiative #StepUp4Disarmament. The starting time — 8:29 AM — and the length of the route — 8.29 kilometers — symbolically referred to the date of August 29. The participants marched from the UN Office in Geneva along the shores of Lake Leman to the Villa La Grange.

The International Day against Nuclear Tests was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in 2009 at the initiative of Kazakhstan and is observed annually on August 29. This date reminds the global community of the severe humanitarian and environmental consequences of nuclear tests, as well as the need for their full and definitive cessation.

The event was attended by representatives of the diplomatic corps, staff of the UN and other international organizations, non-governmental entities, the expert community, and youth movements.

Addressing the participants of the march, a representative of the Permanent Mission of Kazakhstan spoke about the contribution of the people of Kazakhstan to international efforts to end nuclear testing and promote nuclear disarmament. He also emphasized the historical significance of the decision to close the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site on 29 August 1991, and the consistent role of Kazakhstan in shaping the global anti-nuclear agenda.

The Geneva Peace March continued a series of events held in Vienna and New York dedicated to three landmark milestones of 2026: the 35th anniversary of the closure of the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site, the 20th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty on a Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone in Central Asia, and the 30th anniversary of the opening for signature of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty.

Source : https://www.gov.kz/memleket/entities/mfa-geneva/press/news/details/1282372?lang=ru