Vienna conference on impact of nuclear weapons concludes

The two-day Vienna conference on the humanitarian impact of nuclear weapons concluded Tuesday in the Austrian capital Vienna with setting the goal of working toward a world free of nuclear weapons.

The Vienna conference focused on the humanitarian consequences of any use of nuclear weapons, including effects on human health, the environment, agriculture and food security, migration and the economy, as well as the risks and likelihood of the authorised or unauthorised use of nuclear weapons, Xinhua reported.

Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz has praised the fact that high-ranking officials from 158 countries and civil society organisations were in Vienna for the conference, highlighting the importance of the nuclear issue.

Kurz said nuclear catastrophies have disastrous effects where nobody wins and everybody loses, and stressed that nuclear weapons have no place in today's world.

"Now is the time to act, from words we must now proceed to actions," he said.

Special US Representative for Nuclear Nonproliferation Adam Scheinman told the conference Monday that the US "does not support efforts to move to a nuclear weapons convention, a ban, or a fixed timetable for elimination of all nuclear weapons."

"We believe that a practical, step-wise approach to the pursuit of nuclear disarmament is the most effective means to reduce nuclear dangers and advance the NPT," said Scheinman.