Global sign-on statement: #HumanRaceNotArmsRace

August 6 and 9 respectively mark 80 years since the US dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, killing over 200,000 people and unleashing generations of suffering.

Global Statement | 6th August 2025

The Nuclear Truth Project joined with Ploughshares and partners crafted a global sign-on statement calling on civil society organizations to unite under the shared hashtag #HumanRaceNotArmsRace. This statement honors the legacy of nuclear harms, demands disarmament, and emphasizes that the power to change the future is in our hands.

Eighty years ago, the creation of the atomic bomb unleashed unprecedented devastation on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, launching decades of nuclear testing and nuclear weapons production that disproportionately harmed communities still enduring the violence of colonization.

At the same time, the founding of the United Nations gave rise to a shared hope: that the world could eliminate nuclear weapons and spare future generations the scourge of war. As we mark this solemn anniversary, we honor the memory of those harmed and affirm our collective responsibility to build a more just and secure future. From survivors in Japan to communities across the Pacific, Algeria, Kazakhstan, Russia, China, the American Southwest, and beyond, those most impacted have long led the call for a world free of nuclear weapons. Their courage proves that change is possible. Now it’s our turn to carry that legacy forward.

For too long, nuclear weapons have entrenched global power imbalances, reinforcing systems of inequality and control. While a few states cling to these weapons in the name of “security,” the true cost has been paid by Indigenous, colonized, and marginalized peoples, including through a greater incidence of related cancers in women and girls. Real safety cannot be built on injustice. As arms control agreements near collapse and new nuclear dangers emerge, we face a historic choice. We must demand disarmament, prevent further proliferation, and ensure today’s conflicts do not become tomorrow’s nuclear catastrophe.

We’ve done this before and we can do it again. In the 1980s, everyday people forced political leaders to pull back from the brink, achieving an 80% reduction of global nuclear arsenals. A future free from nuclear weapons is not only necessary—it is within our power.