Only Guarantee against Use of Nuclear Weapons ‘Is Their Total Elimination’, Secretary-General Tells Conference, Urging States Recommit to Disarmament

Following is the text of UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ video message to the eleventh General Conference of Mayors for Peace, in Nagasaki today:

Excellencies, dear friends, I am pleased to send my warmest greetings as you gather in Nagasaki — 80 years after the devastating atomic bombings that shook humanity.

I commend Mayors for Peace for your unwavering commitment to a better world.

As your theme rightly puts it, we must envision a peaceful future as global citizens. And perhaps no one embodies that spirit more than the hibakusha — who transformed unspeakable suffering into a powerful call for peace.

You are answering that call. By working for a world without nuclear weapons. By building safe and resilient cities. And by nurturing a culture of peace.

Dear friends, nuclear weapons have no place in our world. They offer no security — only the illusion of safety and the certainty of devastation.

The only guarantee against their use is their total elimination. I urge all States to recommit to nuclear disarmament. And I urge all of you to keep mobilizing communities, inspiring young people and building peace from the ground up.

Let’s honour the memory of the victims — and the example of the hibakusha — with action.

Thank you for leading the way.