On August 29, Kazakhstan hosted an international conference entitled “From the ban on nuclear testing to a world free of nuclear weapons.” This high-level gathering attended by representatives of more than 70 countries from five continents was organized to commemorate the International Day against Nuclear Tests, which became a UN holiday in 2010 following Kazakhstan’s proposal. Twenty years ago, President Nazarbayev adopted one of his first decrees as the leader of an independent Kazakhstan, closing down the Semipalatinsk nuclear test facility, established by the Soviet Union in 1949, that served as a launching site for hundreds of missiles. According to official statistics, the Semipalatinsk facility was used for over 500 nuclear explosions. The adverse effects of such nuclear tests, including high levels of radiation, have directly impacted the health of around 1.5 million Kazakh citizens, especially those living in close vicinity.

In his bid to highlight Kazakhstan’s achievements on its antinuclear path, Nazarbayev reiterated his already known proposal to collectively draft and adopt a declaration for a nuclear-free world. Earlier this year, the Kazakh leader shared this same vision at the Seoul Nuclear Summit attended by both presidents of Russia and the United States, stating that the danger of nuclear proliferation remained one of this day’s biggest challenges. To supplement this initiative, Nazarbayev called on parliamentarians to set up a global antinuclear parliamentary assembly which would prevent the governments of individual countries from developing military programs using the destructive force of the atom. This framework could also be helpful in increasing international transparency with regard to the production of nuclear technologies.

Moreover, President Nazarbayev announced the launch of a special Internet project called ATOM (“Abolish Testing Our Mission”) that would enable every citizen of the world to sign an electronic petition to his own government asking for the ban on nuclear testing (where it may be occasionally practiced) or for increased controls on the use of nuclear materials (in order to prevent their wrongful use by third parties). The Kazakh president also reminded his listeners of the necessity to establish tighter nuclear safety rules aimed at preventing the repetition of Fukushima-style disasters which may accidentally turn civilian facilities into a source of serious risks for human health and the environment.

When speaking about current difficulties in promoting the global dialogue on nuclear issues, Nazarbayev specifically remarked that the absence of universally binding commitments applicable to recent entrants to the nuclear club and so-called “threshold” nuclear powers makes the process of coordination especially complicated. He also deplored the lack of progress around the ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty. Adopted by the UN General Assembly in September 1996, this multilateral agreement is still awaiting its ratification by eight countries. While China, Egypt, Israel, Iran, and the U.S. have signed but not ratified the Treaty, two officially recognized nuclear powers, India and Pakistan, as well as North Korea have not even signed the CTBT.

Nazarbayev also deplored the absence of clarity on the status of national nuclear programs, unequivocally hinting at the case of Iran, which has been accused by the international community of nourishing secret ambitions about increased military capabilities. According to Kazakhstan’s leader, the lack of clear-cut standards makes it easy to accuse any sovereign state of planning to develop nuclear weapons or supporting nuclear terrorism. Previously, Nazarbayev had frequently defended the view that the Islamic Republic of Iran should be given a possibility to further develop its nuclear program on the condition that it provides evidence of full compliance with IAEA rules.

Furthermore, the Kazakh leader termed the conclusion of talks between Washington and Moscow leading to the signing of the New START Treaty in April 2010 and its consecutive entry into force on February 8, 2011 a success. At the same time, Nazarbayev regretted that this example had not been followed by other nuclear powers preferring to keep their arsenals intact. Valentina Matvienko, the chairperson of Russia’s Federation Council (Senate) and one of the keynote speakers at the conference, confirmed her country’s willingness to fully scrap its stockpile of nuclear missiles, but only if similar steps are taken by other countries in order to guarantee the continuing stability of Eurasia. She also called on the U.S. Government to take additional steps in the direction of ratifying the CTBT, which was initially sent to Congress by the Clinton administration but failed to get the Senate’s approval. While the Bush administration never seriously considered resubmitting the CTBT for ratification, President Obama has hailed such a step as one of his foreign policy priorities.

Finally, it was announced that Nazarbayev would once again be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize due to his coherent antinuclear policies, this time by a group of Japanese deputies.