Commemorating the International Day Against Nuclear Tests and the Closure of the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site

COMMEMORATING THE INTERNATIONAL DAY AGAINST NUCLEAR TESTS AND THE

CLOSURE OF THE SEMIPALATINSK NUCLEAR TEST SITE

HON. BILL FOSTER

of illinois

in the house of representatives

Thursday, August 27, 2026

Mr. FOSTER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to mark the International Day Against Nuclear Tests.

August 29, 2026, marks 35 years since Kazakhstan's historic decision

to close the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site. In tribute to that decision, the United Nations General Assembly unanimously designated August 29 as the International Day Against Nuclear Tests in 2009, drawing global attention to the devastating human and environmental consequences of nuclear testing.

This milestone reflects Kazakhstan's sustained commitment to nuclear

nonproliferation, international oversight, and practical security cooperation, including its close partnership with the United States.

The consequences of nuclear testing are deeply understood in both our

countries. 1,054 U.S. nuclear tests, over 200 of which were atmospheric, exposed servicemembers, workers, and downwind communities to radioactive fallout. At Semipalatinsk, 456 Soviet nuclear tests between 1949 and 1989 exposed over 1 million people and left a lasting human and environmental toll.

The Nevada-Semipalatinsk Movement, which united citizens affected by

nuclear testing in Kazakhstan and the United States, helped generate the public momentum necessary to end testing at the site.

After inheriting the world's fourth-largest nuclear arsenal,

Kazakhstan voluntarily relinquished those weapons and chose security through diplomacy, international cooperation, and nonproliferation.

The United States was a close partner in this historic

transformation. Through the Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction Program, our countries eliminated weapons and delivery systems, dismantled nuclear infrastructure, sealed test tunnels, and secured dangerous materials. Project Sapphire alone removed nearly 600 kilograms of highly enriched uranium from Kazakhstan.

Kazakhstan has continued to put these principles into practice. It hosted two rounds of P5+1 negotiations with Iran in 2013, supported implementation of the 2015 nuclear agreement, and now hosts the IAEA Low Enriched Uranium Bank at the Ulba Metallurgical Plant.

Mr. Speaker, when a country takes responsible actions, we should ensure to highlight it as a good thing. The closure of the Semipalatinsk Test Site, Kazakhstan's efforts to denuclearize, and the creation of the International Day Against Nuclear Tests prove that nonproliferation is not an abstract aspiration, but a practical instrument of national security and diplomatic problem-solving.