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International mayors’ group calls for nuclear abolition at Hiroshima conference

https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20221021/p2a/00m/0na/014000c October 22, 2022 (Mainichi Japan),

HIROSHIMA — The 10th general conference of the international nongovernmental organization Mayors for Peace closed here on Oct. 20 after adopting “Hiroshima Appeal” that calls for nuclear abolition.

In light of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the appeal stated that the risks of nuclear warfare “are at their highest after a threat of the use of nuclear weapons is made,” and pointed out that “the dangerous argument for nuclear deterrence is gaining momentum.”

The organization, founded in 1982, announced in the latest general conference that there are “no prospects for fostering international public opinion leading to a peaceful world without nuclear weapons.” It also stated that it will “demand immediate action toward nuclear disarmament” from the United Nations and governments around the world, especially nuclear powers and their allies.

The six-item immediate action plan includes; a complete execution of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and policies agreed in the NPT review conferences; a departure from the nuclear deterrence theory and ratification of the nuclear weapons ban treaty; and the promotion of efforts to pass down the reality of the effects of radiation from atomic bombings as an experience for the human race.

Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui, who heads the international organization, told a news conference after the general meeting, “We were able to reinforce solidarity among member cities that seek the realization of nuclear weapons abolition.”

The two-day, in-person general meeting was attended by 176 delegates from 102 cities in nine countries. The next general conference is scheduled for 2025 in the city of Nagasaki.

(Japanese original by Kiyomasa Nakamura and Akari Terouchi, Hiroshima 

October 21, 2022 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | Uncategorized