High-level Meeting on International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons

THE HIGH-LEVEL MEETING OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY TO COMMEMORATE THE INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR THE TOTAL ELIMINATION OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS

Hon. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa
Minister for Foreign Affairs
26th September 2025
Trusteeship Council Chamber,
United Nations Headquarters
New York

Madam President,
Ghana aligns this statement with those of the African Group and the Non-Aligned Movement, and renews its deliberate, clear and unambiguous longstanding national position and commitment against nuclear weapons.

Eighty years since the dawn of the atomic age, the observance of this International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons is our reminder that where the compass of global caution is broken, and the enduring pledge of never again is overlooked, the horrors of the past would not remain in the past: it would creep upon us into our present reality.

As we pursue a world free of nuclear weapons, the urgency of action must therefore be enhanced. The nuclear threat is high and nuclear modernisation and nuclear proliferation risks are increasing, and must be addressed.

While the NPT remains the cornerstone of our disarmament architecture, each failed Review Conference chips away at the fragile trust on which the Treaty rests. The credibility of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) is being undermined by the lack of its full implementation, especially of the disarmament undertakings from the 1995, 2000, and 2010 Review Conferences.

On this occasion, therefore, I remind nuclear-weapon states of their obligation to pursue disarmament, and call upon all of us to prevent nuclear proliferation and promote the peaceful uses of nuclear energy.

As the Chair of the Third Preparatory Committee of the NPT earlier this year, Ghana witnessed both the challenges of finding consensus and the narrow opportunities that still remain, if States would choose dialogue over brinkmanship.

While other disarmament instruments such as the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, and nuclear-weapon-free zones reinforce the shared objective of nuclear elimination, their promise is weakened when compliance lags, and when doctrines of deterrence, already contrary to the spirit of disarmament, shift dangerously toward war-fighting concepts that lower the threshold for use.

Ghana therefore calls on all States to renew momentum: in particular, ratification by the remaining Annex II States of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty to bring it into force.

Madam President,
Today, Ghana deposits its Instrument of Ratification for the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. By this step, following our signature in 2017, Ghana has reaffirmed that the era of reliance on nuclear weapons must give way to genuine security through dialogue, confidence-building, and sustainable development. The TPNW offers a pathway grounded in humanitarian principles, respect for human life, protection of the environment, and justice for victims. For Ghana, it complements the NPT and other instruments, reinforcing the common aspiration of a world free from nuclear weapons.

The dangers of non-elimination are not only potentials. They are the realities of daily life. It is in this context that Ghana takes note with concern the Secretary-General’s recent report entitled, “The Security We Need – Rebalancing Military Spending for a Sustainable and Peaceful Future.” Soaring military expenditures drain resources from health, education, and sustainable development, particularly in fragile States. Nuclear weapons deepen these imbalances, divert vast resources, while heightening insecurity. True security lies not in stockpiles, but in human dignity, resilience, and cooperation.

In concluding, let me do so with the voice of those who witnessed the first use of atomic bombs. Their window of time may be closing, and their pained voices hushing up, but their voices still carry the urgency and moral clarity we need today to galvanize us to fulfil our shared promise, not in some distant future, but with concrete action now.

I thank you.