Eighty-one years ago on Thursday, August 6, 1945, the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, reducing the city to ruins and killing tens of thousands of people. This event brought the world “face to face with the catastrophic power of nuclear war,” according to the United Nations.

At a memorial ceremony in Hiroshima, the UN chief for disarmament affairs stated that the bombing 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.” She added, “Across generations, its people remind us that, even after the darkest moments, we can choose and build a different future.”

Just two days after Hiroshima, a second nuclear bomb was dropped on Nagasaki on August 8, 1945. The two blasts killed around 120,000 people, with a similar number dying later from burn and radiation injuries. Approximately 650,000 survivors, known as the hibakusha, remain.

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 cataclysm.” She noted 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.

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

Emphasizing that peace is not secured through fear and might, Nakamitsu called for trust, sustained investment in dialogue, diplomacy, international cooperation, unwavering commitment to international law, and strengthening the global disarmament regime.

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