August 29 is World Day Against Nuclear Tests. This day was established by the General Assembly on December 2, 2009 and inaugurated in 2010. On September 26, 2014, the General Assembly added the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons to the calendar. This second day confirms the pursuit of the objective of total elimination of nuclear weapons. Since July 16, 1945, the date of the first nuclear test, thousands have been carried out. But we now know the terrible consequences of nuclear power and these two days are there to remind us of them. This will also be an opportunity for us to take stock of French nuclear tests more specifically.



Two International Days Against Nuclear Power

Nuclear disarmament and the total elimination of nuclear weapons are a necessity in view of the possible consequences of their use. Even if this observation seems obvious, it is not one but two international days which are devoted to the fight against nuclear tests. 

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On August 29 and September 26, various events are organized whose aim is to inform and raise public awareness of the dangers of nuclear power. Everyone can therefore attend symposia or conferences and visit exhibitions related to the theme. The media adapt their programs by broadcasting numerous reports on the subject of nuclear power, its discovery, its evolution, its harms, the consequences of the tests on populations. These two days are an opportunity to advance the cause of banning nuclear tests.

The establishment of these two days also enabled a certain number of government advances through concomitant international efforts. Civil society also takes part in the fight against nuclear tests by joining together in various associations. Finally, through the work of numerous NGOs, pressure is put on governments that have not yet ratified the CTBT.

Fight against nuclear tests: since when?

In the 1950s, the first actions to raise awareness of the harmful effects of nuclear power took place. Doctors have started to question the authorities about the consequences of French nuclear tests or not, atmospheric. The presence of radioisotopes had been revealed in the children's teeth. The first stone in the fight against nuclear testing had been laid. Indeed, this campaign contributed to the conclusion of a first partial nuclear test ban treaty, which prohibits underwater and atmospheric nuclear tests, as well as tests in space. This treaty does not, however, prohibit underground testing.

In the 1980s, France was singled out for its French nuclear tests at Mururoa, in the Pacific. In the United States, major protests are taking place at the Nevada nuclear test site in the United States. During this same period, the Nevada-Semipalatinsk International Anti-Nuclear Movement was born in Kazakhstan, Semipalatinsk being the most important Soviet nuclear testing site.

Concerning French nuclear tests more specifically, the authorities put an end to them in January 1996 :

France is the only state with nuclear weapons to have closed and dismantled its nuclear experimentation center  1 . Today, it no longer has facilities allowing it to carry out nuclear tests.

Since 1985, NGOs have been working in favor of the NPT, the Non-Proliferation Treaty. This NPT constitutes an introduction to the development of the CTBT. We are therefore moving from non-proliferation to a complete ban on nuclear power.

The evolution of the various treaties demonstrates an increasingly present desire on the part of States to achieve the total elimination of nuclear weapons. 

Resolution 64/35

The Republic of Kazakhstan initiated a resolution, entitled resolution 64/35, intended to challenge the public and raise awareness "of the effects of experimental explosions of atomic weapons and other nuclear explosions and of the need to put an end to it, as one means among others to achieve the goal of a world without nuclear weapons.” Kazakhstan was joined by many authors and co-authors, wishing to commemorate the closure of the Semipalatinsk nuclear testing range in Kazakhstan on August 29, 1991.

The CTBT

Appearing in 1996, the CTBT is the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and is still not applied. 

This treaty aims to curb the nuclear arms race. It establishes standards and procedures that are deliberately dissuasive against states that question the dangerousness of nuclear weapons. The objective of the CTBT is to bring together as many countries as possible committed to stopping the development of nuclear weapons. 

On the occasion of the World Days Against Nuclear Tests, a renewed appeal is made to the leaders of States which have not yet ratified the CTBT , delaying its implementation. 

To date, 170 signatory countries of the CTBT are working on its implementation. They constitute an international monitoring system which currently covers more than 90% of Member States by assuring them that no nuclear test will escape their vigilance in the event of violation of their commitments to non-proliferation of nuclear weapons and the tests associated with them. contribute.

Securing our common future

“Ensuring our common future” is the title of a disarmament program established on May 24, 2018. An action entirely focused on informing and raising awareness among populations about the disastrous impact of nuclear power on all forms of life on Earth.

The international day of August 29 against nuclear testing and the world day of September 26 for the total elimination of nuclear weapons are also intended to put pressure on the Nations which are slow to ratify the CTBT.

The total elimination of nuclear weapons indeed seems to be the only way to eliminate any threat of war or nuclear terrorism. To achieve this, international efforts are essential. But until that day comes, stopping nuclear testing appears to be one of the most radical ways to get closer to the goal of a world without nuclear weapons.

However, faced with States still wishing to acquire nuclear weapons, the application of the CTBT is long overdue. We can bet that the information and awareness-raising implemented during the world days against nuclear testing will be effective enough to convince the most reluctant leaders. The destructive power represented by nuclear weapons is disproportionate. The future of a country and its power do not lie in its capacity for annihilation. It is essential to persevere in the fight for nuclear weapons, and the two international days of August 29 and September 26 are an additional opportunity to remind us of this.