US President Barack Obama's call for a nuclear-free world builds on solidifying support at home and abroad amid what experts fear is the rising risk of an atomic weapons attack.
Analysts said reclusive Stalinist North Korea's launch of a rocket - which could eventually deliver a nuclear warhead - underscored the threat even if it upstaged Obama's pledge.
During a visit on Sunday to Prague for a US-EU summit, hours after the launch, Mr Obama unveiled plans to cut atomic stockpiles, curtail testing, choke fissile production and secure loose nuclear material.
He said he wanted an immediate end to nuclear tests, confirmed he would seek Senate approval of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and would hold a global summit on nuclear security within the next year.
The Vienna-based organisation which is working to implement the CTBT welcomed Mr Obama's speech. "It's important that the US take the leadership on this issue. Hopefully it will move other actors to follow suit," said CTBTO spokeswoman Annika Thunborg.
Joe Cirincione, a US non-proliferation expert, told AFP that the president's pledge echoes a shift among former US government leaders who once supported maintaining stockpiles of nuclear weapons as a deterrent during the Cold War. "You now have die-hard realists like Henry Kissinger, George Schultz embracing the elimination of nuclear weapons," said Mr Cirincione of the two former secretaries of state under presidents Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan.
Also pushing for elimination are William Perry, defence secretary for former president Bill Clinton, former president Jimmy Carter, Zbigniew Brzezinski, Mr Carter's national security adviser, and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
"The Bush doctrine, which was supposed to be a quick, easy answer to this (threat)... made matters worse," he said, referring to former President George W. Bush's pursuit of overthrowing hostile and dangerous regimes.
Mr Cirincione said Mr Obama was right to have the US lead by example and then stage a summit of countries with nuclear weapons, those suspected of having such weapons or at least the technology to make them.