Dear Friend,

Today is the International Day against Nuclear Tests and I am proud to be writing to you from Astana, Kazakhstan, where ICAN is taking part in a series of powerful meetings about nuclear disarmament and nuclear justice to mark this day. We are joined by several governments, UN and Red Cross representatives, members from affected communities and civil society - including many of our partners - all working together for a world that is not just free from nuclear tests but free of nuclear weapons altogether. 

The 29th of August was chosen because it is the anniversary of the first ever Soviet nuclear test carried out at Semipalatinsk in 1949 and the day this test site was finally closed in 1991. It is also the day that, in 2019, Kazakhstan ratified the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. 

It is particularly poignant to be here in Kazakhstan, which is not only the location of devastating nuclear tests, but also the place where the world witnessed remarkable activism to end testing here and everywhere.

Photo: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan

Listening to the testimonies of survivors, it is clear that we must do more than eliminate the scourge of nuclear weapons from the world; we must also seek to address the harm that they have already inflicted on countless people globally. Today, you can help us do so from home. Will you help share their stories, and their calls for justice, on social media?

At the heart of our work is the advocacy and sharing of knowledge and experience from survivors of nuclear weapons from around the globe. We hope that, on this day, you will help us in that effort. 

Thank you for all that you do,

Melissa Parke
Executive Director
International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons