Nuclear disarmament and human rights issues discussed in Geneva

GENEVA. KAZINFORM The Permanent Mission of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the UN Office in Geneva organized a special event to commemorate the International Day Against Nuclear Tests and the 75th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, as part of global efforts to promote peace building, Kazinform learned from the MFA press office.

Permanent Representative of Kazakhstan Yerlan Alimbayev and Director General of the UN Geneva Tatiana Valovaya delivered their opening remarks. Among the panelists were Permanent Representative of the Marshall Islands, representatives of Panama, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Parliamentarians for Nonproliferation and Abolition of Nuclear Weapons (PNND).

Director of the UN Office in Geneva Tatiana Valovaya noted that Kazakhstan was one of the most affected countries by the nuclear tests, and on behalf of the UN expressed gratitude for the efforts to promote nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament, and achieving a nuclear-free world.

Permanent Representative Yerlan Alimbayev stressed that in the context of the implementation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and universally recognized norms on the right to life, Kazakhstan’s anti-nuclear initiatives are particularly relevant today and require dialogue, negotiations and confidence-building measures.

Referring to the consequences of the nuclear tests at the former Semipalatinsk test site, the Kazakh diplomat called for support for the triennial resolution on international cooperation and coordination for the human and ecological rehabilitation and economic development of the Semipalatinsk region, as well as the economic development of the Semey region. This resolution serves as a legal basis for mobilizing international support to rehabilitate the aftermath of negative destruction caused by tests conducted at the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site.

Many speakers noted that for the first time on the Geneva platform, two most important topics for the world – nuclear disarmament and human rights – are being discussed in such a format. The suggested that it was necessary to continue such discussions.