Kazakhstan warns world against nuclear tests as 1.5 million bear Semipalatinsk scars

NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 2— Kazakhstan has warned the world against repeating the devastation of nuclear testing, drawing on the experience of its Semipalatinsk test site where 456 nuclear tests exposed about 1.5 million people to high levels of radiation.

Speaking at a special meeting at the United Nations Office at Nairobi to mark the International Day against Nuclear Tests, Kazakhstan’s Ambassador to Kenya and Permanent Representative to the UN Office at Nairobi, Barlybay Sadykov, said the country’s experience demonstrated the lasting humanitarian and environmental consequences of nuclear explosions.

The Semipalatinsk site, one of the world’s largest nuclear testing grounds, was permanently closed by Kazakhstan on August 29, 1991, after more than four decades of testing.

“Behind every number of explosions are people who suffered from nuclear tests. Families. Communities. Children yet to be born,” Sadykov said.

Between the first test and its eventual closure, 30 atmospheric, 86 above-ground and 340 underground nuclear explosions were conducted at the site, which covered about 18,000 square kilometres.

Kazakhstan’s experience, Sadykov said, had shaped its commitment to nuclear disarmament, non-proliferation and the prohibition of nuclear testing.

The ambassador said the humanitarian consequences had continued across generations, including increased health problems, congenital birth defects and long-term psychological and social effects among communities living with the legacy of nuclear testing.

The environmental damage has also persisted, with radioactive contamination affecting soil and creating the need for long-term monitoring of radioactive pathways through water and the food chain.

“The tragedy of Semipalatinsk must never be repeated,” Sadykov said, calling on states to strengthen international efforts to prevent further nuclear testing and advance nuclear disarmament.

Kazakhstan’s anti-nuclear legacy

Kazakhstan’s decision to close Semipalatinsk followed the emergence in 1989 of the Semipalatinsk-Nevada Anti-Nuclear Movement under the leadership of Kazakh poet and activist Olzhas Suleimenov.

The movement campaigned for the closure of the test site and demonstrated the ability of public mobilisation to influence nuclear policy.

In 2009, Kazakhstan initiated a UN General Assembly resolution that established August 29 as the International Day against Nuclear Tests, aimed at raising awareness of the consequences of nuclear testing and strengthening international efforts towards its prohibition.

The country subsequently dismantled and eliminated the infrastructure of the former test site with the United States and Russia under the Cooperative Threat Reduction Programme.

Kazakhstan also established the National Nuclear Center on scientific facilities associated with the former testing site. The centre now conducts work on environmental assessments, remediation, international security and the peaceful uses of nuclear energy.

In 1992, Kazakhstan adopted legislation providing social protection for citizens affected by nuclear tests at Semipalatinsk, while the government continues to support affected populations.

Guterres: Nuclear tests ‘shatter trust’

UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned that the danger of nuclear testing remains particularly serious amid rising geopolitical tensions.

Reading Guterres’ message at the Nairobi event, UN Office at Nairobi Director-General Zainab Hawa Bangura said the suffering of victims and survivors of nuclear testing should not be treated as a closed chapter of history.

“Their suffering is not history. It is a warning,” Guterres said.

He said nuclear tests “do not prove strength” but instead shatter trust, encourage reciprocal testing and fuel nuclear arms races.

“The world must never witness another nuclear explosion,” Guterres said, urging all nuclear-armed states to maintain existing moratoria and bring the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty into force without delay.

The message comes as the world marks 30 years since the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty opened for signature and 35 years since Kazakhstan closed the Semipalatinsk test site.

Guterres said the anniversaries should serve as reminders that humanity can choose restraint over destruction.

Kazakhstan pushes for global action

President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev reiterated Kazakhstan’s commitment to a world free of nuclear testing and nuclear threats on August 29.

According to Sadykov, Tokayev said Kazakhstan’s decision to close Semipalatinsk and later renounce the world’s fourth-largest nuclear arsenal was a historic choice for peace, security and future generations.

“35 years ago, Kazakhstan closed the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site and later renounced the world’s fourth-largest nuclear arsenal – a historic choice for peace, security, and future generations,” Tokayev said.

He called for dialogue among nuclear powers, the early entry into force of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty and decisive multilateral action to eliminate the threat posed by nuclear weapons.

Kazakhstan is also chairing the Central Asian Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone in 2026, marking 20 years since the signing of the treaty establishing the zone.

Sadykov said states within the zone continue to cooperate with other nuclear-weapon-free zones, including through a memorandum of understanding between the Central Asian Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone and the African Commission on Nuclear Energy.

The agreement provides for cooperation on nuclear safety, physical protection of nuclear materials and facilities, and the peaceful uses of nuclear energy.