New York, September 27, 2025 – The Europe Today: Indonesian Foreign Minister Sugiono on Friday urged the international community to take immediate action to eliminate nuclear weapons, describing them as one of the greatest threats to humanity.
Speaking at a high-level United Nations meeting marking the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons, Sugiono criticized the continued possession of over 12,000 nuclear warheads by a small number of states, including some not party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
“Indonesia urges nuclear-armed states to halt modernization and expansion, take concrete steps toward disarmament, and demonstrate political will for a world free of nuclear weapons,” he stated.
Sugiono also called for stronger disarmament mechanisms and encouraged all nations to join the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), which prohibits the possession, testing, and threat of use of nuclear arms.
He warned that emerging risks, such as cyberattacks, artificial intelligence, and terrorism, increase the likelihood of nuclear conflict. “These risks are uncontrollable. The only way to prevent disaster is the total elimination of nuclear weapons,” he added.
Highlighting the upcoming 2026 NPT Review Conference, the Foreign Minister urged world leaders to use the event as a pivotal moment to reinvigorate global disarmament efforts.
The TPNW, adopted in 2017 and entered into force in 2021, has been signed by more than 90 countries and ratified by over 70, including Indonesia. Indonesia has historically championed nuclear disarmament, having led the first UN high-level meeting on the issue on September 26, 2013, as coordinator of the Non-Aligned Movement’s working group on disarmament.
Since 2014, a resolution titled Follow-up to the High-level Meeting on Nuclear Disarmament, submitted by Indonesia on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement, has been adopted annually, urging UN member states to raise awareness and promote total nuclear disarmament.
