Seven decades after the first use of atomic weapons which created a humanitarian disaster and killed more than 200,000 people, there is no absolute guarantee that such weapons will not be used again. Thousands of them that are associated with military strategies and war plans, which contemplate their use under certain circumstances, continue to exist in the arsenals of nuclear-weapon States and other possessors.
That is because nuclear-weapon States are not complying with their nuclear disarmament obligations. Almost half a century after the conclusion of the NPT under which all the States parties have an explicit legal obligation to achieve the total elimination of nuclear weapons, the gap between that nominal commitment and its implementation in practice is so wide. Upholding the integrity and credibility of NPT depends on the full implementation of all the obligations therein, in particular on nuclear disarmament.