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International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons
September 26, 2018
UN Sculpture depicting St. George slaying the dragon. The dragon is created from fragments of Soviet SS-20 and United States Pershing nuclear missiles. UN Photo/Milton Grant
September 26 is United Nations International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons (Nuclear Abolition Day).
The day occurs on the anniversary of the 1983 incident in which a nuclear war was almost initiated by accident (See The Man who Saved the World). The day also occurs when world leaders (Presidents, Prime Ministers and Foreign Ministers…) are in New York for the opening session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). And it is just prior to the deliberations of the UN Disarmament and International Security Committee (First Committee) which occur at the UN thorughout October 2018.
Nuclear Abolition Day Actions
- Action 1: Sign the Avaaz petition UN: Step up for nuclear abolition.
- Action 2: Send a letter to your government urging them to speak up for nuclear disarmament at the United Nations.
- Action 3: Do a social media photo and circulate to your networks.
- Action 4: Organise a vigil or hold a faith-based event. See the Nuclear Disarmament Resource Guide for Religious Communities for ideas (Also published in Arabic, French, German, Japanese and Spanish).
- Action 5: (USA). Call on your legislator or candidate to support the Legislators’ Peace Pledge. and the Beyond the Bomb No-First-Use congressional initiative.
For other action ideas on Nuclear Abolition Day please see September 26: International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons and Take Action on September 26.
Nuclear Abolition Day Events
(Please inform us of events that you are organizing or know about)
Czech Republic
Prague. September 26. Special screening on the movie The Man Who Saved the World. For details contact PNND Prague office.
New Zealand
Auckland, Sep 26. NZ Peace@Pitt Film Premiere. 6pm. 78 Pitt Street. Contact The Peace Foundation.
United States
New York, September 23. 1:15pm. A Permanent End to the Threat Posed by Nuclear Arms: the United Nations Secretary General’s Agenda for Disarmament. Discussion with Chris King, UN Office of Disarmament Affairs. Reidy Hall, All Souls Unitarian Church, 1157 Lexington Ave at 80th St. Contact Guy Quinlan, Nuclear Disarmament Task Force.
New York. September 26. United Nations High Level Meeting on Nuclear Disarmament. UN General Assembly, New York. 10am – 6pm. The High-Level Meeting is a forum for governments to make statements. Unlike the planned High-Level Conference (Summit), the High-Level Meeting will not aim for any outcome statement, declaration or agreements. However, it can be used to promote key initiatives. Click here if you would like to attend the High-Level Meeting as an observer (space is limited).
New York. September 26. Inter faith prayer service NY. 12:45pm. The Gazebo at Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, 47th Street & Second Avenu. Contact Pax Christi Metro New York, ph 212-420-0250.