The UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, on Thursday called for a "permanent" ban on nuclear tests in a message marking the International Day Against Nuclear Tests, which is observed annually on August 29th. In his address, Antonio Guterres stated that over 2,000 nuclear tests have been conducted in more than 60 locations around the world over nearly eight decades, leaving behind a "legacy of destruction, rendering lands uninhabitable, and causing long-term health problems for people." The UN chief warned that recent calls to resume nuclear testing indicate that the "terrible lessons of the past are being forgotten or ignored." "On the International Day Against Nuclear Tests, the world must speak with one voice to end this practice once and for all," he emphasized. Guterres noted that the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty is the only treaty banning all nuclear tests and is a fundamental, verifiable security tool, and lamented that "it is not yet in force." D. CMG / Czech.cri.cn / gnews.cz-jav_07