International Meeting on Victim Assistance and Environmental Remediation

September 1, 2026

10:00 am – 6:00 pm

ECOSOC Chamber, UNHQ, New York

The United Nations will convene the first ever International Meeting on Victim Assistance and Environmental Remediation on September 1, 2026. The meeting aims to address the legacy of nuclear weapons by exploring the needs and mechanisms for victim assistance and environmental remediation of UN member states affected by nuclear weapons. Sponsored by the Republics of Kazakhstan and Kiribati, two states affected by nuclear testing, the meeting is mandated by the UN resolution 79/60.

Over 2,000 nuclear explosions have been detonated worldwide, and their environmental and humanitarian consequences have transcended national borders and continue to cause harm. Support for affected communities from UN Member States is sorely needed.

This meeting will take place on September 1, 2026. Please review the information below regarding civil society participation.

Watch Live

Morning Session

Afternoon Session

Logistics

Civil society representatives, including from organizations accredited to the Economic and Social Council, as well as relevant United Nations agencies, scientists, representatives of communities affected by the use, production and testing of nuclear weapons, and academia are encouraged to participate in the meeting with UN accreditation. The deadlines for registration have passed, click below for pass collection and access logistics.

Schedule

The meeting will take place for one day on September 1, 2026 from 10 am to 6pm Eastern Time at United Nations HQ in New York in the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Chamber. Accredited civil society will be able to give limited interventions at certain points in the schedule. Click below for the provisional agenda and speakers.

Documents and Conference Materials

Documents, statements and other relevant information of the International Meeting on Victim Assistance and Environmental Remediation will be hosted online for civil society here. This will include any panel videos, recommendations, or interventions given. To view the UN meetings page click here.

Grounds Pass Collection and Access

Following your registration to the meeting, passes will be available for collection at the UN Visitors’ Centre, located at 1 Avenue and 45th Street, from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, 1 September 2026.

Please note that all participants should bring an original government-issued photo ID in order to collect their pass and enter the UN premises. You are also kindly reminded to allow sufficient time for pass collection and security screening before the meeting.

The meeting will be held in the ECOSOC Chamber, and participants are kindly requested to access the room from the 3rd floor.

Compiling Recommendations – Deadline September 1

In order to encourage a robust and meaningful outcome, we are compiling recommendations from affected communities and civil society, both from those who will attend the meeting and those who are unable.

The recommendations document distributed after the meeting by the UN Secretary General will reflect what is discussed in the meeting by States, affected communities, academia, and civil society.  While we are working hard to enable affected community members to attend the meeting, we know it is not possible for everyone. Recommendations from this form will be compiled to feed into the outcome.

Please view the form here: https://forms.gle/oboKG8aE9soT5Bmv7.  Please provide answers to the guiding questions as you see fit; please do not feel the need to answer all of the questions. The deadline for input to the outcome recommendations is September 1.

Side Events

There will be no dedicated civil society room for side events to this meeting. If you intend to organize a Member State-sponsored or external side event for this International Meeting please write to cso@napf.org to be included in a forthcoming calendar.

Background information

On December 22, 2023, United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) adopted the resolution 78/240 entitled “Addressing the Legacy of Nuclear Weapons: Providing Victim Assistance and Environmental Remediation to States Affected by the Use or Testing of Nuclear Weapons.” The resolution was tabled by the Republics of Kazakhstan and Kiribati, two countries impacted by the nuclear testing conducted by the Soviet Union, in the case of Kazakhstan, and by the United States and the United Kingdom, in the case of Kiribati.

On December 2nd, 2024, the UNGA adopted resolution 79/60 with the same title which additionally requested the Secretary-General to convene a one-day meeting on victim assistance and environmental remediation at the United Nations in 2026.

The resolution 80/56 adopted on December 2nd, 2025, established the modalities of the meeting.

All resolutions were voted with overwhelming support from the UNGA, with Nuclear Weapon States almost exclusively voting against or abstaining.

For more information and how you can support this meeting, even if you are unable to attend, please view our Advocacy Toolkit.