Cambodia Reiterates Commitment to Nuclear Disarmament at UN

NEW YORK, Sept 1, 2026 (KPT) — Cambodia has reaffirmed its commitment to a world free of nuclear weapons and nuclear testing, urging stronger international action to advance disarmament. Speaking at a high-level UN plenary marking the International Day against Nuclear Tests, Ambassador Keo Chhea, Cambodia’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, called on states to show the political will needed to bring the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) into force. He urged nuclear-weapon states to sign and ratify the protocol to the Southeast Asia Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone (SEANWFZ) Treaty without reservations, stressing that stronger commitments were essential to ensure regional and global security. Cambodia’s position reflects its long-standing support for nuclear disarmament, non-proliferation and Southeast Asia’s status as a nuclear-weapon-free region. The CTBT, adopted in 1996, prohibits all nuclear explosions for military or civilian purposes. It has been signed by 188 countries and ratified by 179, but has yet to enter into force. Ratification by all 44 states listed in Annex 2 is required; nine of those states have not yet done so. ASEAN established the SEANWFZ, also known as the Bangkok Treaty, in 1995. Its members, including Cambodia, pledged to keep the region free of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction. Chhea said Cambodia would continue to work with ASEAN partners and the wider international community to strengthen global norms against nuclear testing and proliferation. He stressed that advancing disarmament was vital to building a safer, more secure world.