The September 26, is the International Day for the Total Elimination of nuclear weapons. Even though it was the subject of the United Nations first resolution in 1946, to eliminate nuclear weapons, close to 13 000 nuclear weapons still exist today held by nine states.

Today we must remember why it is so vital we eliminate these weapons of mass destruction, and the devastating environmental and health impacts they have.

To now 93 countries have signed the Treaty on the Prohibition of nuclear weapons.

At present there are 9 countries in the world that possess nuclear weapons..

India, Israel, and Pakistan never signed the NPT and possess nuclear arsenals. Iraq initiated a secret nuclear program under Saddam Hussein before the 1991 Persian Gulf War. North Korea announced its withdrawal from the NPT in January 2003 and has successfully tested advanced nuclear devices since that time. Iran and Libya have pursued secret nuclear activities in violation of the treaty’s terms, and Syria is suspected of having done the same. Still, nuclear nonproliferation successes outnumber failures, and dire decades-old forecasts that the world would soon be home to dozens of nuclear-armed states have not come to pass.