The United Nations Security Council on Thursday affirmed its commitment to the goal of a world free of nuclear weapons and established a broad framework for reducing global nuclear dangers, in an historic summit-level meeting chaired by US President Barack Obama.

Participants take part in the Summit on Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Nuclear Disarmament at the UN headquarters in New York, the United States, Sept. 24, 2009. The U.N. Security Council on Thursday unanimously adopted a resolution to stop the proliferation of nuclear weapons in a bid to seek a safer world for all, and to create conditions for a world without nuclear weapons. [Shen Hong/Xinhua]

The meeting -- only the fifth in the Council's history since 1946 to be held at the level of heads of State and government -- began with the unanimous adoption of a resolution by which the 15-member body voiced grave concern over the threat of nuclear proliferation and the need for global action to combat it.

Obama, whose country holds the rotating Council presidency in December, becomes the first US president to preside over the Security Council meeting.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon welcomed the resolution, adding that the summit was "an historic event that has opened a new chapter in the Council's efforts to address nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation."

Stressing that "nuclear disarmament is the only sane path to a safer world," Ban said in his opening remarks that "nothing would work better in eliminating the risk of use than eliminating the weapons themselves."

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (L) speaks at the Summit on Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Nuclear Disarmament at the UN headquarters in New York, the United States, Sept. 24, 2009. The UN Security Council on Thursday unanimously adopted a resolution to stop the proliferation of nuclear weapons in a bid to seek a safer world for all, and to create conditions for a world without nuclear weapons. [Shen Hong/Xinhua]

In resolution 1887, the Council called on countries to sign and ratify the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), and created additional deterrence for withdrawal from the treaty.

In addition, the Security Council called on all States to refrain from conducting a nuclear test explosion and to sign and ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), thereby bringing it into force as soon as possible.