Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons: UN Chief’s Briefing | United Nations

Opening the NPT Review Conference at UN Headquarters in New York today (27 April 2026), Secretary-General António Guterres said, “Global military spending soared to 2.7 trillion dollars last year, thirteen times more than all development aid globally, and equivalent to the entire Gross Domestic Product of Africa. For the first time in decades, the number of nuclear warheads is on the rise. Nuclear testing is back on the table. Some governments are openly mulling the acquisition of these horrific weapons. Have we forgotten that a nuclear war cannot be won and must not be fought? Have we forgotten that nuclear weapons make no one safer? Have we forgotten that the only reason the world did not tumble into the abyss was because leaders stood together and said: enough?”

Guterres added, “As you begin your deliberations today, I urge you to focus on two key points. First, countries must keep their promises under the Treaty. Without caveats. Without conditions. Without delays. Without excuses. It is time to re-commit to disarmament and non-proliferation as the only true path to peace.”

He concluded: “The Treaty is not a relic of a former age, frozen in amber. It must grapple with the nexus between nuclear weapons and new technologies. It must ensure that, until nuclear weapons are eliminated, humanity never cedes control over their use. And it must help expand access to the benefits of nuclear science and technology for sustainable development.”

Vietnam’s Permanent Representative Đỗ Hùng Việt, who presides over the conference, said, “For more than half a century, the NPT has played a vital role in curbing the spread of nuclear weapons, advancing nuclear disarmament and promoting the peaceful uses of nuclear energy. As a crucial part of the NPT regime review conferences have served as our points of reference on both where we stand and where we must go. They have guided our collective path toward the aspiration of a world free of nuclear weapons.”

Việt added, “This is not just another review conference. The success or failure of this conference will have implications way beyond these halls and way beyond these next five years. The prospects of a new nuclear arms race are looming over us, the scale of which we are yet to fathom. The prospects of a world without an effective functioning NPT regime would, in all likelihood, be one where regional rivalries increasingly have nuclear dimensions, where the taboo against nuclear use erodes further, and where collective security is diminished by the potential spread of nuclear weapons.”

The United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, UAE, and Australia all objected to Iran serving position as Vice-President of the General Committee, though none called for a vote, citing a desire not to disrupt the conference’s work. Iran retained the position.

The United States representative said, “Indeed, it is an affront to the NPT itself that a country that has so blatantly disregarded its obligations under the treaty should take a place of honor and responsibility as a Vice President on the General Committee that should help coordinate our work over the next four weeks. Our commission is to strengthen the treaty and affirm its commitments. But choosing to open this review conference by conferring leadership on a country that is notoriously violating the very treaty it has pledged to uphold, is an affront to countries that treat the NPT commitments seriously.”