Nuclear Justice Resolution

2025 Resolution

UN General Assembly

On December 2, 2025, at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, the General Assembly voted for the third year in a row on a draft resolution on addressing the legacy of nuclear weapons and providing victim assistance and environmental remediation to Member States affected by the use or testing of nuclear weapons A/C.1/80/L.57 , entitled “Modalities of the 2026 meeting on victim assistance and environmental remediation.”

The primary purpose of this resolution is to establish the modalities for the first-ever international meeting on victim assistance and environmental remediation that will be held in early 2026. This resolution provides a basis for the Secretary-General of the United Nations to invite Member States, Observer States, Observers, Civil Society, Academia, Scientists, and affected communities to participate in the meeting.

The resolution was brought forward by the Republics of Kazakhstan and Kiribati, co-sponsored by 31 states, and supported by the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, including our Director of Policy and Advocacy, Christian Ciobanu. The overwhelming support was marked by 170 votes in favor.  Four states abstained, and five states voted against the resolution.

We are incredibly proud that the States recognized the importance of providing an opportunity for affected states and communities to formally address the United Nations. We are looking forward to the international meeting.

Read the resolution HERE and below.

For: 170 States

Against: France, North Korea, Russia, United Kingdom

Abstain: China, India, Israel, Pakistan, United States

The 2025 resolution was led by the dedicated efforts of Kazakhstan and Kiribati and co-sponsored by 31 other Member States. In the First Committee, 167 countries voted in favor, while only four nations—North Korea, France, Russia, and the United Kingdom—voted against. Five countries—China, India, Israel, Pakistan, and the United States—abstained. This outcome once again demonstrated the overwhelming support of the international community for nuclear justice, with only the nine nuclear-armed States remaining isolated in their opposition to nuclear justice.

At the outlined 2026 meeting, Member States with relevant experience are invited to share their perspectives on victim assistance and environmental remediation. Civil Society representatives, affected communities, relevant UN agencies, and observers to the UN General Assembly are also invited to participate in the meeting.

The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation (NAPF) is proud to support this effort. Our Director of Policy and Advocacy, Christian Ciobanu, serves as an Advisor to the Permanent Mission of Kiribati, contributing to the resolution’s development and working with determination toward its adoption. We extend our gratitude to Christian, our interns, and the diplomats of Kazakhstan and Kiribati for their dedication to nuclear justice.

As the world watches the vote unfold in the 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, we renew our call for nuclear-armed States to heed the humanitarian appeals of the international community. We urge these States to join the global movement not only to mitigate the harms caused by nuclear testing but to ensure that such harms are never inflicted again.

Resolution Vote Tally: 167 Favor, 4 Oppose (DPRK, France, Russia, UK), 5 Abstain (China, India, Israel, Pakistan, USA), UN General Assembly First Committee, October 2025

Voting at UN General Assembly First Committee in Conference Room 4, New York, October 2025

Individual Country Votes, UN General Assembly First Committee, October 2025

Christian Ciobanu co-chaired the Informal Consultations of the resolution on behalf of the Permanent Mission of Kiribati, October 2025

Azamat Kairolda (Permanent Mission of Kazakhstan) and Christian Ciobanu (Permanent Mission of Kiribati) at the UNGA 80 First Committee in New York, October 2025

2024 Resolution

On November 8, 2024, the United Nations General Assembly First Committee voted for the second year in a row on a critical resolution aimed at addressing the enduring impacts of nuclear weapons. This resolution, entitled “Addressing the legacy of nuclear weapons: providing victim assistance and environmental remediation to Member States affected by the use or testing of nuclear weapons,” was first introduced by the Republics of Kazakhstan and Kiribati—two nations that have suffered deeply due to nuclear testing. Kazakhstan endured a decades-long nuclear testing program by the Soviet Union, while Kiribati was the site of tests conducted by the United States and the United Kingdom. The resolution is co-sponsored by 41 Member States.

On December 2, 2024, at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, the General Assembly adopted the 2024 resolution on addressing the legacy of nuclear weapons and providing victim assistance and environmental remediation to Member States affected by the use or testing of nuclear weapons (document A/C.1/79/L.74). The resolution was brought forward by the Republics of Kazakhstan and Kiribati, co-sponsored by 39 additional States, and supported by the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, including our Director of Policy and Advocacy, Christian Ciobanu. The adoption was overwhelmingly supported, with 174 votes in favor, four against (North Korea, France, Russia, and the United Kingdom), and six abstentions (China, India, Israel, Pakistan, Poland, and the United States). While the number of votes in favor increased from 161 in the 2023 General Assembly, the opposition and abstentions remained the same, leaving the majority of nuclear-armed states isolated on the issue of nuclear justice. Compared to 2023, the updated resolution also requested that the Secretary-General convene a one-day meeting on victim assistance and environmental remediation at the United Nations, at an appropriate time in 2026.

Read the resolution HERE and below.

UNGA 79 Resolution Vote Tally: 174 Favor, 4 Oppose (DPRK, France, Russia, and UK), 6 Abstain (China, India, Israel, Pakistan, Poland, and USA), December 2024

Voting on resolution in UN General Assembly Hall, December 2024

Individual Country Votes, December 2024

Individual Country Votes, December 2024

Azamat Kairolda of Kazakhstan, Rebecca Locher of NAPF/RTT, and Christian Ciobanu of NAPF following consultations on Kazakhstan and Kiribati’s resolution on Nuclear Justice at UNGA 79 First Committee, November 2024

Christian Ciobanu delivers a statement to the UNGA 79 First Committee on behalf of the Permanent Mission of Kiribati, November 2024

Azamat Kairolda, Rebecca Locher, Christian Ciobanu, and Kenneth Chiu at the UNGA 79 First Committee in New York, November 2024

2023 Resolution

The original resolution, introduced in October 2023, was met with overwhelming support last year. In the UN General Assembly’s First Committee, 171 countries voted in favor, while only four nations—North Korea, France, Russia, and the United Kingdom—voted against. Six countries, including China, India, Israel, Pakistan, and the United States, abstained. This significant show of support underscored the commitment of the international community to address the suffering of communities impacted by nuclear testing and to work towards global nuclear disarmament.

Following the First Committee’s endorsement, the resolution was adopted by the General Assembly in December 2023 with 161 Member States voting in favor. Once again, four countries voted against, and six abstained, reflecting a continued divide between nuclear-armed states and the majority who stand in solidarity with affected communities.

Read the resolution HERE and below.

Resolution Vote Tally: 161 Favor, 4 Oppose (DPRK, France, Russia, UK), 6 Abstain (China, India, Israel, Pakistan, South Sudan, USA), UN General Assembly, December 2023

Individual Country Votes, UN General Assembly, December 2023

Individual state votes in UNGA 78 First Committee, October 2023

The vote tally in UNGA 78 First Committee, October 2023

Azamat Kairolda, Rebecca Locher, Christian Ciobanu, and Kenneth Chiu in UNGA 78 First Committee, October 2023