Why is the UN chief calling for a global nuclear test ban?

The United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has urged the countries to end the nuclear testing in a new push.

The plea from the UN chief comes in the midst of growing conflicts happening around the world, including the US-Iran conflict and Russia-Ukraine war.

According to Guterres, all nations having been equipped with nuclear weapons should apply existing pauses on testing and to formalise global bans on nuclear testing.

Taking to X, he posted, “Nuclear tests shatter trust, fuel a nuclear arms race & betray every community still living with the legacy of past nuclear tests.”

“I call on all countries possessing nuclear weapons to maintain existing moratoria & bring the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty into force. Let’s re-commit to ending nuclear testing.”

He also called on the international community to bring into effect the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty. It is a multilateral agreement aimed at prohibiting all nuclear detonations.

The appeal from the UN chief comes after Russia launched a nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missile.

The Russian Defence Ministry conducted a test launch of a mobile solid-fuel missile from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in the Arkhangelsk region, which successfully hit its target at the Kura training ground in Kamchatka.

Moscow stated that the purpose of the test was to verify the tactical, technical, and flight characteristics of the missile system.

The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), adopted in 1996 to legally ban all nuclear test explosions, is not yet in full legal force.