Delhi Declaration was adopted on January 29, 1985 at the meeting of Heads of State and Governments of India, Greece, Mexico, Argentina, Tanzania and Sweden in New Delhi, the capital of India. The declaration calls for an end of nuclear arms race and a following gradual elimination of nuclear arsenals around the world, as well as the removal of the threat of nuclear war.

This date once again calls for everyone’s attention to catastrophic consequences of nuclear weapons usage on the world scale. Right now a lot of countries possess nuclear weapons in their arsenal, even though its use is prohibited. This decision was taken after the dramatic events of 1945, when two bombs were dropped on Japanese cities of Nagasaki and Hiroshima, taking lives of 240 000 people.

The consequences of nuclear explosions are catastrophic for the entire planet, with a quite limited possibility from their protection. Radiation is capable of making an irreparable damage to nature and human health. A large-scale nuclear war can cause a climate disaster on the planet, which as a result will destroy all the humanity.

The work towards nuclear weapons ban and their complete non-proliferation has started long ago. A non-proliferation treaty, prepared by the UN Non-Proliferation and Disarming Committee, was signed in 1968. By the mid-90s it was confirmed by five major nuclear states, and 181 states in total. However, 13 countries including Israel, India, Pakistan and Brazil have not signed the treaty. The non-proliferation treaty forbids possessing nuclear weapons for all countries, apart from five major nuclear states (the UK, China, Russia, the US and France). In 1995 this treaty was prolonged for an indefinite period, but today the non-proliferation regime is, in fact, at the edge of collapsing.

We can only hope for heads of states’ common sense and shrewdness, thanks to which we might save life and peace on the Earth.