Bold steps needed to achieve nuclear-free world, Ban says

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today used the screening of a documentary tracing the history of the atomic bomb to appeal to all nations to take courageous action to achieve nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation targets.

Mr. Ban helped launch the screening at United Nations Headquarters in New York of Countdown to Zero, which also highlights the escalating global nuclear arms situation.

Today’s screening takes place on the third day of the five-yearly review conference of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which has drawn more than 100 countries to the UN to discuss how to further full implementation and enhance the universality of the pact.

The Secretary-General urged “negotiators to think big… to be bold and take risks… to aim for the prize – a nuclear-free world.”

The film, produced by Lawrence Bender, who also was behind the climate change documentary entitled An Inconvenient Truth, delivers the message that nuclear weapons pose a clear danger “with passion and power,” Mr. Ban said.

He also hailed the efforts of the initiative known as Global Zero, which calls for the elimination of nuclear weapons, as “grassroots activism at its finest.” To date, some 350,000 people have signed up to the movement.

“This movie will add to your strength in numbers,” the Secretary-General said. “It will amplify your voice. It will build public pressure for change.”

The award-winning actor Michael Douglas, a UN Messenger of Peace, said that the film also showcases the role and responsibility of the media in the disarmament debate.

When the media tackles difficult policy issues, it not only helps “to make our governments more accountable,” he said, but it also serves as an “instrument for social justice and a force for societal change.”