Nuclear Abolition Day: Peace is in Our Hands
Friday, 26 September 2025
3:00 – 7:00 p.m.
New York City Hall Park
Broadway sidewalk at Chambers Street
New York, NY 10007
RSVP for this event here
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The New York chapter of UNA is joining people and organizations all around the world on September 26 in an event or action to prevent nuclear war and advance the global elimination of nuclear weapons.
The United Nations has declared September 26 to be the International Day for the Elimination of Nuclear Weapons. In order to build civil society action and cooperation for the day, an open group of organizations, working in consultation with the United Nations Office of Disarmament Affairs, has established NuclearAbolitionDay.org.
Nuclear Abolition Day
offers everyone a unique opportunity to be a part of a multimedia action to say "stop" to nuclear weapons. Peace is in Our Hands: A Participatory Multimedia Creation, will take place outside at New York City Hall Park (on the Broadway sidewalk at Chambers Street). Choose a hand stamp and add your mark to this piece of public art being created for Nuclear Abolition Day. Be one of the many individuals around the world, including UN Peace Messenger Michael Douglas, who have already stamped their hands to "stamp out" nuclear weapons! * You will also have the chance to be filmed by an international production team and contribute to a piece of public art in the heart of downtown Manhattan.**
* Stamps and bio-friendly ink provided. **Participation in the filming is optional.
Social Media Action
The September 26 social media action Stop Nuclear Weapons: Peace is in our Hands — can be done by anyone, anywhere, and is based on a hand raised with palm facing forwards, which is a universal message to stop. Hands are also what we use to greet each other, create things and build cooperation. For examples, please visit Stop Nuclear Weapons: Peace is in our Hands.
Joint Appeal for September 26
You can also endorse the September 26 Joint Appeal which calls on governments to use the opportunity of the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons and the UN High Level Plenary Meeting on September 26 to announce concrete plans to prevent nuclear war, shift nuclear weapons budgets and investments to strengthen the UN, advance peacekeeping and conflict resolution, accelerate steps to protect the climate, and meet human and economic needs as required under Article 26 of the UN Charter. The appeal is open to endorsement by individuals and organizations and will be presented to world leaders at the UN on September 26.
Message from the United Nations Secretary-General
Every year, the UN Secretary-General releases a statement (message) leading up to the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons and addresses the High-Level Meeting on September 26.
In his September 2024 message, UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned that: “Growing geopolitical divisions and mistrust are driving tensions to new heights. Instead of dialogue and diplomacy being deployed to end the nuclear threat, another nuclear arms race is taking shape, and saber-rattling is re-emerging as a tactic of coercion. We need to stop the madness before it’s too late.”
Click here for the recent message of the UNSG
Watch the video of the UNSG speech at the UN High Level Meeting
About Nuclear Abolition Day
In 2013, the United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution 68/32 declaring September 26 to be the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons. The principal objective of the day is to “enhance public awareness and education about the threat posed to humanity by nuclear weapons and the necessity for their total elimination, in order to mobilize international efforts towards achieving the common goal of a nuclear-weapon-free world.”
Every year on this date, the UN holds a high-level meeting of world leaders to discuss “urgent and effective measures” to achieve global nuclear disarmament. At the same time, citizens around the world organize events and undertake actions to support nuclear weapons abolition.
September 26 is also the anniversary of one of the times in which humanity has come perilously close to nuclear war. On this date in 1983, a nuclear weapons early warning facility in Russia detected an apparent incoming ballistic missile attack from the USA (later confirmed as a false alarm). Colonel Stanislav Petrov, Duty Officer at the facility, broke protocol by not affirming to senior command that the early warning satellites were detecting incoming nuclear missiles, thus preventing a possible ‘launch-on-warning, retaliatory nuclear strike’ from Russia, which would have triggered nuclear war.
This event is organized by AwareNearth and the ImPact Coalition on Strengthening International Judicial Institutions. Supported by Parliamentarians for Nuclear Nonproliferation and Disarmament, World Future Council and other participating organizations in NuclearAbolitionDay.org
RSVPs are not required but encouraged.
Questions may be addressed to rebecca.shoot@gmail.com.
