Commemorating International Day Against Nuclear Test on August 29

The whole world will observe the fifth annual International Day against Nuclear Tests will be on Friday, 29 August 2014.

The day highlights the efforts of the United Nations and a growing community of advocates, including Member States, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, academic institutions, youth networks and media in informing and educating on the importance of a ban on nuclear weapons testing for the achievement of a safer and more secure world.

The day, August 29, was chosen by the General Assembly as the annual commemoration date against nuclear tests because it marks the day in 1991 when Semipalatinsk, in Kazakhstan, one of the largest test sites in the world, was closed permanently.

The International Day against Nuclear Tests, established by General Assembly resolution 64/35, was first observed in 2010, to promote the idea that “every effort should be made to end nuclear tests in order to avert devastating and harmful effects on the lives of people… and, that the end of nuclear tests is one of the key means of achieving the goal of a nuclear-weapon-free world.” opt