International Meeting on Victim Assistance and Environmental Remediation
Statement delivered by H.E Ambassador James Larsen, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Australia to the United Nations
01 September 2026
We commend Kiribati and Kazakhstan for their leadership on the legacy of nuclear weapons testing.
As we convene for this historic meeting, I acknowledge the intergenerational impact that historical nuclear testing has had on communities in Kiribati and Kazakhstan, and the broader Pacific and Central Asia regions.
Australia would like to make three points.
First, I want to underscore our own experience as a nation that has experienced historic nuclear testing.
We have witnessed first-hand the devastating effect of testing and the long-lasting impacts on those affected.
The hurt and suffering caused by the removal of First Nations Australians from their traditional lands, and the impact this had on their traditions, lifestyle and connection to country, is something we continue to acknowledge.
Second, nuclear testing has impacted our region and we stand ready to amplify and support Pacific voices on this issue.
We want to contribute our technical and scientific expertise in radiological analyses and environmental remediation to support broader efforts to address nuclear legacy issues.
We have been pleased to share this expertise with partners across our region, and support the call by Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Leaders to build scientific and monitoring capacity.
Australia is also proud to have contributed an expert to the United Nations Scientific Panel on the Effects of Nuclear War, and we look forward to their report to the General Assembly next year.
Finally, the terrible legacy of nuclear weapons testing should galvanise the global community to ensure we do not repeat mistakes of the past.
Forty years ago, our collective experience of testing in the Pacific saw our region come together to create the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone, known as the Treaty of Rarotonga.
This year we celebrate another milestone for our region: the universalisation in the Pacific of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), following ratification by the Kingdom of Tonga.
These achievements demonstrate our collective commitment to relegate nuclear testing to history.
Yet the global norm against nuclear testing is facing serious challenges.
We are deeply concerned by claims that certain states have undertaken explosive nuclear testing.
We urge all relevant states to abide by their respective moratoria and refrain from conducting nuclear explosive tests of any yield.
We call on all States that have not yet done so to sign and ratify the CTBT without further delay or precondition, particularly the nine Annex 2 States required for its entry into force.
The CTBT is our collective commitment to a permanent end to the dangers and destructive legacy of explosive nuclear testing.
Thank you.