Leading Vatican diplomat renews call for ban on nuclear tests
September 05, 2024
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CWN Editor's Note: Addressing a UN meeting on the International Day Against Nuclear Tests, a leading Vatican diplomat decried the harmful effects of nuclear testing on human beings and the environment and called for “a reinforced global commitment to the cessation of this dangerous practice” (video, 40:30).
Archbishop Gabriele Caccia, apostolic nuncio and Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations, said on September 4 that nations “have a moral obligation to rebuild the lives of those affected by nuclear testing while also protecting the environment for future generations.”
He added:
It is essential that the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) is enforced and that the International Monitoring System and all associated verification mechanisms are fully implemented. Furthermore, strengthening the ban on nuclear-explosive testing, as outlined in the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), is of paramount importance.
The CTBT, a 1996 treaty, has yet to take effect; the United States, Russia, China, and several other nuclear powers have not ratified it. The TPNW, a 2017 treaty, entered into force in 2021; however, none of the major nuclear powers has signed it.
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