ASTANA – Youth activists from Kazakhstan, Kiribati, and the Marshall Islands came together at a forum in Astana on Aug. 29 to demand bolder actions toward a nuclear-free world amid growing concerns about the resurgence of nuclear threats. With a shared history of nuclear testing scars, the young leaders urged governments to listen to their demands and take meaningful steps toward disarmament.
The youth forum was part of a series of events held in Astana to commemorate the International Day against Nuclear Tests. Photo credit: Aruzhan Ualikhanova / The Astana Times
The youth forum, titled From the Pacific to the Steppes: Addressing Nuclear Sins and Advancing Nuclear Justice, marked the International Day Against Nuclear Tests on Aug. 29, commemorating the 75th anniversary of the first nuclear test in Semei in eastern Kazakhstan.
Organized by the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, the Steppe Organization for Peace (STOP), and the Friedrich Ebert Foundation in Kazakhstan, the forum aimed to facilitate dialogue between youth from impacted communities to discuss the humanitarian impact of nuclear weapons.
The participants attending the forum share a lasting nuclear legacy. Between 1957 and 1962, the United Kingdom and the United States tested nuclear weapons at Malden and Kiritimati islands in Kiribati, incurring devastating long-term health and environmental impacts. Between 1946 and 1958, the United States conducted 67 nuclear tests in the Marshall Islands.
Personal testimony
Sharing her powerful testimony, Aigerim Seitenova, the co-founder of STOP, the youth-led Kazakh initiative for nuclear justice, highlighted Semei’s history of nuclear testing, its impact on local communities, and the intergenerational trauma it caused.
The forum gathered first, second and third generation survivors telling their stories. Photo credit: Aruzhan Ualikhanova/ The Astana Times
“I was born in Semei. (…) For me, Semei is not only about nuclear testing; it is about the liberation movement called the Alash; it is about a Kazakh poet, Abai Kunanbayev, and it is about resistance, the power of the people that were born there, and that keep fighting for nuclear justice,” said Seitenova, addressing the gathering.
She recalled how the Soviet Union chose the Kazakh steppes to conduct 456 nuclear tests, including 340 underground and 116 atmospheric tests. The Soviet Union claimed these areas were uninhabited. Seitenova emphasized that Semei was the biggest and closest city. However, the effects were not limited to this region; they also impacted other regions of Pavlodar and Karagandy.
Family history shapes nuclear non-proliferation advocacy
Seitenova said the history of her family has shaped her drive to advocate for a world free from nuclear weapons. “When I think about Aug. 29, I remember the story of my grandma. She was only ten years old when she saw the mushroom cloud. She lived around 40 kilometers from the nuclear test site and remembered that something big happened. It was raining on Aug. 29,” she said.
She said that for 40 years, people had mainly remained unaware of what was happening on their “sacred land.”
“In this case, ignorance was far from being bliss, but rather a curse that was forcibly implanted by the dominant and hegemonic power, which used unity of all peoples at the core of its ideology to utilize people at the margins for the nuclear experiment, which then served to the common goal in the nuclear arms race and resulted in this hemorrhagic wound, which we now all call our nuclear legacy,” said Seitenova, who also has health implications from the radiation to which her parents were exposed to.
According to her, advocating for a world free of nuclear weapons and seeking justice is not just about raising awareness for nuclear frontline communities. It is about confronting the nuclear legacy and the intergenerational trauma that many have endured.
For years, discussing the damage caused by nuclear testing, the lasting harm, and the birth of children with disabilities or rare conditions was taboo.
Civil society growing
At a press event later on Aug. 29, Yerdaulet Rakhmatulla, co-founder of STOP and nuclear non-proliferation activist, emphasized that the youth forum is a significant milestone that deserves attention. He also believes it is a major step forward for civil society in Kazakhstan and global advocacy for nuclear justice.
Rakhmatulla said there is much work ahead at different levels. “We still have six months until the start of the third MSP [meeting of state parties] to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons [TPNW], which is going to be presided over by Kazakhstan. I believe we still have time to prepare better and give representation for all those voices and all those needs that couldn’t be here during these days,” he said.
Youth calling governments’ attention
Rakhmatulla and STOP co-founder Adiya Akhmer presented the youth declaration with 12 action points.
From L to R: Adiya Akhmer and Yerdaulet Rakhmatulla read out the youth declaration. Photo credit: Assel Satubaldina/ The Astana Times
It includes ensuring safe storage of reactive materials, promoting empowerment initiatives for women, girls, and youth in nuclear-affected communities, enhancing capacity-building efforts for affected communities to access the International Trust Fund, and enhancing transparency and access to information to prevent the misuse of funds.
The fund, which is under development, is an initiative proposed by Kazakhstan and Kiribati, co-chairs of a working group under TPNW, to finance projects related to victim assistance and environmental restoration. Discussions about the fund stem from the Vienna Action Plan, adopted at the TPNW’s First Meeting of States Parties in June 2022.
Akhmer called on the Kazakh government to better address the needs of communities affected by the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site, as local social benefits and victim assistance envisioned by the 1992 law on social protection of those affected are deemed insufficient.
She also stressed the need for inclusive decision-making processes and recognition of youth voices by the Kazakh government.
“In 33 years of independence in Kazakhstan, civil society grew to a level where it is in full capacity to contribute to the development of its region,” said Akhmer, highlighting the established local expertise of activists, researchers, and policymakers in Kazakhstan.
“All one needs is to listen and make sure that the members of the affected community and civil society are fully involved in the decision-making processes. We, the youth experts in our own fields, like policymaking, healthcare, and international diplomacy, are ready for a dialogue,” she said.
International norms at risk
According to Christopher King, the chief of the Weapons of Mass Destruction Branch at the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs, hearing personal testimonies is a “stark reminder” of the devastating impact of nuclear weapons.
From L to R: Christopher King; Veronique Christory, senior arms adviser, International Committee of the Red Cross and Red Crescent; Aigerim Seitenova; Melissa Parke, an executive director at International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons; and Christian Ciobanu, Policy and Advocacy Director, Nuclear Age Peace Foundation. Photo credit: Aruzhan Ualikhanova/ The Astana Times
“Today, nuclear tests have left a legacy of destruction, rendering lands uninhabitable and creating long-term health problems for people. No one knows that better than the people of Kazakhstan,” said King.
While the international community has established strong norms against nuclear testing through the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty and other international treaties, those norms are at risk.
“At a time when nuclear weapons are being used as tools of coercion, when we are on the brink of a new nuclear arms race, when we seem to have forgotten the hard-won lessons of the Cold War that nuclear weapons do not improve anyone’s security, it is more important than ever that you hear the voices of young people. It is crucial that young people have a voice in demanding and shaping the world that they want to inherit – one that is free from the fear of nuclear weapons,” he said.
To commemorate the date, UNODA launched a youth outreach initiative called the N.O.N.E. campaign – Not One Nuclear Explosion – to “support the meaningful inclusion of youth voices and to amplify the perspectives of affected communities.”
The first event is the annual Step Up Disarmament campaign held worldwide. Groups of young people, along with support from friends and family, walked or ran an 8.29-kilometer distance—a symbolic number honoring the International Day Against Nuclear Tests, with a focus on physical activity. The second event, the Stop Hand campaign, encouraged young people to join a social media movement by writing the word ‘None’ on their hand and posting a photo to emphasize the campaign’s message: not a single nuclear explosion.
Nothing about us without us
The forum participants stressed the need for increased support for the victims of nuclear testing, including financial compensation, healthcare services, and the cleanup of contaminated sites. Many voiced frustration over the slow pace of reparations and the lack of adequate recognition for the suffering endured by affected populations.
‘Nothing about us without us’ was a recurring phrase across the forum, meaning that the people affected by the testing should have a say in how nuclear legacy is addressed, particularly with a little bit more than six months left until the third meeting of state parties to TPNW in March 2025 in New York.
