Eighty-one years ago on Thursday, August 5th, 1945, the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, devastating the city, killing tens of thousands, and confronting the world with the catastrophic power of nuclear war. Just two days later, on August 8th, 1945, a second nuclear bomb was dropped on Nagasaki.

The two blasts killed around 120,000 people, with a similar number dying later from burns and radiation injuries. Approximately 650,000 survivors, known as the hibakusha, remain.

At a memorial ceremony in Hiroshima, the UN chief for disarmament affairs emphasized that this was an act that must never be repeated. Izumi Nakamitsu, speaking on behalf of UN Secretary-General António Guterres, described Hiroshima as “an inspiring example of resilience, renewal and hope,” noting that its people remind generations that even after the darkest moments, a different future can be built.

Nakamitsu provided a snapshot of the current nuclear weapons landscape, warning that deepening geopolitical divisions, rising mistrust, and intensifying competition are straining the norms and guardrails that have helped prevent a nuclear catastrophe. She highlighted that the decades-long trend of nuclear arsenal reductions is reversing, the global norm against nuclear testing is under threat, and worldwide military spending surged to $2.9 trillion in 2025.

“Nuclear sabres are being rattled once again in the name of power and coercion,” the UN disarmament chief said, recalling that the UN was founded to rid the world of the scourge of war, with the General Assembly’s first resolution in 1946 aiming to eliminate nuclear weapons.

Nakamitsu stressed that peace is not secured through fear and might but through trust, sustained dialogue, diplomacy, international cooperation, unwavering commitment to international law, and strengthening the global disarmament regime.

Sources

UN News: Hiroshima fosters hope, 81 years on from nuclear catastrophe