Guterres Says World Facing Level of Nuclear Danger Not Seen Since Peak of Cold War

UNITED NATIONS (Sputnik) – UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned Monday that the world is grappling with a level of nuclear danger not seen since the peak of the Cold War.

"The climate crisis, stark inequalities, conflicts and human rights violations, and the personal and economic devastation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, have put our world under greater stress than it has faced in our lifetimes. And it occurs at a time of nuclear danger not seen since the height of the Cold War," Guterres said at the Tenth Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.

"Today, humanity is just one misunderstanding, one miscalculation away from nuclear annihilation," he added.

The UN Secretary-General also urged countries to work together to reinforce multilateral agreements on nonproliferation and disarmament.

"It means reinvigorating — and fully resourcing — our multilateral agreements and frameworks around disarmament and non-proliferation, including the important work of the International Atomic Energy Agency," Guterres said at the Tenth Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. He warned that "humanity is just one misunderstanding, one miscalculation away from nuclear annihilation."

"We urgently need to reinforce and reaffirm the 77-year-old norm against the use of nuclear weapons," Guterres said. "This requires a steadfast commitment from all States Parties," he added.