Vietnam chairs UN conference on Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty

"A spirit of constructive engagement, dialogue, and multilateral cooperation must guide us," said Do Hung Viet. These words take on particular weight when read in light of his country's history.

Guterres' warning: "Warheads on the rise, nuclear tests back on the table."

UN Secretary-General António Guterres' opening remarks sounded a wake-up call. He declared: "For the first time in decades, the number of nuclear warheads is increasing, and nuclear testing is back on the table ."

A statement that turns back the clock of history, to the darkest years of the Cold War, when the world lived in the nightmare of the constant threat of nuclear conflict. Guterres described the NPT as "an irreplaceable cornerstone" of the global non-proliferation and disarmament regime, but he was forced to bitterly acknowledge that its pillars are now creaking.

The Secretary General is concerned about three converging phenomena:

• the modernization of nuclear arsenals by the great powers;

• the escalation of geopolitical tensions in many hot spots around the planet;

• the erosion of trust in multilateral mechanisms.

  The UN conference on the NPT on 27 April 2026

  Author: VNA

  Source: VNA - agenzia del governo vietnamita https://vietnamlawmagazine.vn/vietnam-chairs-inaugural-session-of-11th-npt-review-conference-79322.html

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"We need to rebuild trust between countries, promote strategic dialogue, and prevent actions that could undermine the Treaty," Guterres urged, calling on member states to recommit to the three pillars of the NPT: non-proliferation, disarmament, and the peaceful use of nuclear energy.

Vietnam: From Victim of Aggressive War to Mediator for a Nuclear-Free World

Vietnam is a living memory of what happened when chemical agents and massive bombings were unleashed on a civilian population. Decades after the end of the war, the consequences of Agent Orange continue to scar the land and its people.

It is precisely from this deep wound that Vietnam's determination to promote nuclear disarmament today stems. As Ambassador Do Hung Viet reiterated: "We consistently support complete and non-discriminatory nuclear disarmament."

A message that Guterres wanted to emphasize forcefully: the Vietnamese presidency represents an opportunity for developing countries to make their voices heard in the global disarmament process. And, we might add, a lesson for the permanent members of the Security Council, often the first to modernize their nuclear arsenals.

An arms race that worries the world

The New York Conference – which brings together the 191 member states of the Treaty – has an ambitious goal: to find practical measures to strengthen the implementation of the Treaty in a world where the risk of renewed proliferation is real.

Guterres's words resonate like a warning: putting nuclear testing back on the table isn't a rhetorical threat. It's a real possibility, one that risks shattering decades of informal moratorium and triggering a new, extremely dangerous arms race.

An approach of a non-nuclear country, but not for this a silent one

The choice of Vietnam as president is no coincidence. As a non-nuclear country , its role as mediator is perceived as less "self-interested" than that of the nuclear powers. Precisely for this reason, its voice can be a bridge between the global North and South.

"Vietnam is committed to promoting unity among Member States, particularly by amplifying the voices of developing countries, in the pursuit of a world free of nuclear weapons," reads the statement issued by the Vietnamese mission to the UN.

And while the superpowers discuss modernizing their arsenals, Hanoi reminds the world that those who have suffered war want nothing more than peace.

What to expect from the Conference

The work, which began with a general debate, will continue with in-depth sessions on disarmament, non-proliferation, and peaceful nuclear cooperation. It is hoped that Vietnam's presidency will be able to guide delegates toward a consensus-based final document , something that has not always been achieved in previous editions.

But beyond formal declarations, the real challenge will be to transform words into concrete actions, in an era in which – as Guterres warned – the specter of the atomic bomb is once again haunting not only speeches but also governments' military agendas.

Sources: Vietnam News Agency (VNA), United Nations (speech by Secretary-General António Guterres, 27 April 2026).
Photo credits: VNA (Ambassador Do Hung Viet at the Presidency of the Conference).