EVERYONE worries about losing their lives in incidents, so they try their best to protect themselves. All clashes and fighting inevitably result in loss of life and injury for those involved. While equal strength and weapons on both sides may not always matter, when one side has overwhelming superiority, the circumstances become unequal. As a consequence, the weaker side suffers greater loss of life.

Humans in different regions and countries have fought their enemies in various ways since time immemorial. To secure victory, they developed a range of weapons and equipment for combat. Over time, increasingly powerful weapons have emerged. In this regard, these weapons are not only useful in fighting but also in exerting threats on others.

Driven by the desire to dominate, all countries, espe­cially powerful ones, depend­ing on their financial capac­ity, have developed nuclear weapons for use in wars as well as to intimidate and co­erce smaller, weaker nations. Although nuclear technology can be employed in ways that benefit society, powerful coun­tries often use nuclear weap­ons to pressure nations they do not favour. Therefore, it is essential to emphasize nucle­ar disarmament worldwide.

The United Nations has been at the forefront of many major diplomatic efforts to ad­vance nuclear disarmament since. In 1959, the UN General Assembly endorsed the objec­tive of general and complete disarmament. In 1978, the first Special Session of the General Assembly Devoted to Disar­mament further recognized that nuclear disarmament should be the priority objective in the field of disarmament. Every United Nations Secretary-General has actively promoted this goal.

The United Nations stated that achieving global nuclear dis­armament is the highest ambition of its kind. For the sake of the entire people across the world, a mandate for specific proposals was adopted for the control of nuclear energy and the elimination of atomic weapons and all other major weapons adaptable to mass destruction. The General Assembly commemorates 26 September as the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weap­ons to provide an occasion for the world community to reaffirm its commitment to global nuclear disarmament.

Yet, today, around 12,241 nuclear weapons remain. The purpose of the International Day is to further the objective of the total elimi­nation of nuclear weapons through enhancing public awareness and education about the threat posed to humanity by nuclear weapons and the necessity for their total elimination. These activities will help to mobilize new international efforts towards achieving the common goal of a nuclear-weapon-free world.