Director-General's remarks at the Commemorative event marking the twentieth anniversary of the signing of the Treaty on a Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone in Central Asia

Commemorative event marking the twentieth anniversary of the signing of the Treaty on a 
Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone in Central Asia

Tuesday, 8 September 2026 at 1.15 p.m.
Room VII, Building A, Palais des Nations

Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,

It is a pleasure to join you today to mark the twentieth anniversary of the signing of the Semipalatinsk Treaty establishing a Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone in Central Asia.

I thank the Permanent Missions of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan for bringing us together on this important occasion. I also commend the five States Parties for their steadfast commitment to the Semipalatinsk Treaty over the past two decades.

The name Semipalatinsk carries profound significance. For decades, this region of Kazakhstan experienced the consequences of nuclear testing firsthand. More than 450 nuclear tests were conducted at the Semipalatinsk test site before its closure in 1991. That is almost one quarter of all nuclear tests ever conducted.

Against this backdrop, the signing of the Semipalatinsk Treaty on 8 September 2006 carried particular significance. Five neighbouring States chose to transform a difficult shared nuclear legacy into a common, legally binding commitment to keep their region free of nuclear weapons. The Treaty reflects not only non-proliferation and disarmament objectives, but also the region’s historical experience, including through provisions addressing the environmental consequences of past nuclear activities.

The Central Asian Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone is distinctive in several respects. For example, it is the first nuclear-weapon-free zone located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere. It also borders two nuclear-weapon States.

But its importance extends well beyond Central Asia. Nuclear-weapon-free zones have become an established part of the international nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation architecture – a reality foreseen in the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons when it was negotiated in the 1960s.

Over the decades, nuclear-weapon-free zones have demonstrated how regional cooperation can reinforce global norms and strengthen international peace and security.

Their value lies not only in the legal prohibitions they establish, but also in the habits of cooperation they foster, including: consultation among neighbours, confidence-building, transparency and a shared responsibility for maintaining regional security.

These contributions are particularly important today. We meet at a time of heightened geopolitical tensions and nuclear risks, eroding trust, and growing pressure on arms control and disarmament norms. Rapid technological developments are adding further uncertainty to an already complex international security environment.

In such circumstances, nuclear-weapon-free zones should not be seen merely as achievements of the past. They remain living instruments of regional security and nuclear non-proliferation. They demonstrate that, even in challenging security environments, States can make enduring choices in favour of restraint, dialogue and cooperation.

Yet the continued effectiveness and credibility of nuclear-weapon-free zones cannot be taken for granted. These zones require sustained implementation by their States Parties and continued dialogue with nuclear-weapon States. By strengthening the security benefits provided to members of nuclear-weapon-free zones, we can help shore up confidence in the broader nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament regime.

There is also value in strengthening dialogue and cooperation among the nuclear-weapon-free zones themselves. While each zone reflects unique historical, political and security circumstances, valuable lessons can be shared on implementation, verification, institutional arrangements and engagement with nuclear-weapon States.

Kazakhstan has played a leading role in this effort by hosting, with the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs, inter-zonal meetings in Astana in 2019 and 2024, which helped foster practical exchanges and led to the creation of a dedicated UN platform on nuclear-weapon-free zones. Most recently, a UN mandated Group of Experts adopted by consensus the first comprehensive study on nuclear-weapon-free zones in 50 years, offering recommendations for their future strengthening and development.

Ladies and gentlemen,

As we mark the twentieth anniversary of the Semipalatinsk Treaty, we should look both backwards and forwards. We should recognize and commend the determination that made the Treaty possible and the cooperation that has sustained it over the past two decades.

But the most meaningful tribute to that achievement is to ensure that the Treaty and the nuclear-weapon-free zone it created remain relevant to the challenges of today and tomorrow. We can do this by strengthening implementation, maintaining dialogue, advancing cooperation across regions and continuing efforts to reduce nuclear risks and, ultimately, bring about a world free of nuclear weapons.

The experience of Central Asia demonstrates that history does not have to determine the future. A region profoundly affected by the legacy of nuclear weapons chose cooperation and a different path.

Twenty years after the signing of the Semipalatinsk Treaty, that choice – and the example it provides – deserves both our recognition and our continued support.

I congratulate Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan on this important anniversary and I wish you a productive and forward-looking discussion.

Thank you.