The International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons, September 26, was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 2013 to “enhance public awareness and education about the threat posed to humanity by nuclear weapons” and to “mobilize international efforts towards achieving the common goal of a nuclear-weapon-free world.”
Every year on or around this date, the UN holds a high-level meeting of world leaders to discuss “urgent and effective measures” to achieve global nuclear disarmament. At the same time, citizens around the world organize events and undertake actions to support nuclear weapons abolition. NuclearAbolitionDay.org, an open, international civil society coalition, was established in 2025 in consultation with the UN Office of Disarmament Affairs, to increase cooperation, and elevate political impact of the day.
September 26 is also the anniversary of one of the times in which humanity has come perilously close to nuclear war. On this date in 1983, a nuclear weapons early warning facility in Russia (then part of the Soviet Union) detected an apparent incoming ballistic missile attack from the United States (later confirmed as a false alarm). Colonel Stanislav Petrov, Duty Officer at the facility, broke protocol by not affirming to senior command that the early warning satellites were detecting incoming nuclear missiles, thus preventing a possible “launch-on-warning, retaliatory nuclear strike” from the Soviet Union, which would have triggered nuclear war.
On September 25-26, 2026, NuclearAbolitionDay.org organized Towards a Nuclear-Weapon-Free World, a global, online, intergenerational event commemorating the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons. The event included
presentations by experts from the UN and around the world; global premiere screenings of the documentary An Ordinary Insanity, featuring renowned whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg, followed by discussion with its director and producer; discussion of the principal calls made in the Joint Appeal for Nuclear Abolition Day*; and short cultural performances.
The event was held in four sessions spanning the world’s time zones. You can watch the full session recordings, including powerful pre-recorded video segments, at the Nuclear Abolition Day 2026 YouTube playlist. You can see the program and list of speakers here.
You can also choose to watch the individual pre-recorded video statements from: H.E. Izumi Nakamitsu, UN Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs; Michael Douglas, Academy Award Winning Actor UN Messenger of Peace; Hon. Oscar Arias, President of Costa Rica 1986 to 1990 and 2006 to 2010, Nobel Peace Laureate1987; Achin Vanaik (India) Founding member, Coalition for Nuclear Disarmament and Peace, India; and Bill Kidd (Scotland), Former Member of the Scottish Parliament and Co-President, Parliamentarians for Nuclear Nonproliferation and Disarmament.
For more information see UN Day for the Elimination of Nuclear Weapons – September 26: An Appeal to Get the Job Done and visit www.NuclearAbolitionDay.org.
*The Joint Appeal, which has been endorsed by more than 2000 diverse organizations worldwide as well as eminent individuals from 105 countries, was sent to all UN Missions, and was presented at the UN General Assembly High Level Meeting Commemorating the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons on September 29. It remains open for endorsement by organizations and notable individuals and will next be presented to the UN First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) which meets later this fall.
