General Assembly Observance for the International Day against Nuclear Testing Thursday September 5, 2013

The inventory of the world’s nuclear weapon arsenal remains very high, many on high alert and ready to be used at any given time. If even just 5% of the world’s arsenal were to be used, the entire planet can be covered in soot and decrease the overall temperature for an entire decade, not to mention the devastating human toll. These facts casts a shadow over the entirety of humanity and reminds us of the fact that whilst it may not always appear in the news, nuclear testing and nuclear disarmament will always remain a pending threat. This was the general theme of the General Assembly session, observing the International Day against Nuclear Testing. That, and the highlighting of the growing lack of political will that states fail to display nowadays.

The session was organised in conjunction with President of the 67th General Assembly (Mr Vuk Jeremic) by the Permanent Mission of Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan has been a pioneer in leading the “Path to Zero” race in the proliferation of nuclear weapons. Following the closure of the country’s Semipalatinsk Nuclear Site, Kazakhstan has roused the world’s interest, and it has roused mine too.

It is a small country, with a small economy. It doesn’t have a large military like the United States, or any cultural exports. Most people haven’t heard of it. But yet, here it is, making a determined stance in global nuclear proliferation, showing incredible political will that most prominent world powers are unwilling to demonstrate themselves.

What can we learn from Kazakhstan? There are many things we can draw from Kazakhstan’s example. We can demonstrate strong will and determination to change. We can choose to make a change for the better. We can hold in high esteem our own self-respect. Personally, I choose to draw inspiration from them whenever I am confronted by situations where I think to myself “I am just one person. What can I do to possibly help?” Sometimes, it just takes one act of sheer honesty and determination to change the world; and I don’t think we should delay in making it a better place to live. Don’t you think?