United Nations Radio

The UN and its partners are devoting 100 days to raise awareness of the true cost and dangers of nuclear weapons.

The WMD-We Must Disarm! campaign kicks off on Saturday, leading up to the International Day of Peace on September 21.

The campaign involves sending out 100 reasons to disarm via social media such as Twitter, MySpace and Facebook. Celebrities, text messages, email and radio will also help spread the word.

In a message in advance of the launch date, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon spoke of the "new momentum" on the part of world leaders to address the nuclear weapons issue. He noted that both the United States and the Russian Federation have signaled a new commitment to cut their nuclear arsenals.

Mr. Ban said "Unless we vigorously work for nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, we will continue to face threats from existing nuclear weapons, as well as additional risks that more States, even terrorists, might acquire and deploy such weapons, potentially annihilating millions of people."

This is Dianne Penn for UN Radio

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