In August 1945, atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and the lives of over 210,000 people were ruthlessly stolen by the end of that year. Those who barely managed to survive were left with deep psychological and physical wounds that have yet to heal even today, 77 years later. In June 1982, during the 2nd UN Special Session on Disarmament, then-Mayor Araki of Hiroshima established Mayors for Peace, calling on the cities of the world to transcend national borders and join in solidarity to forge a path toward the abolition of nuclear weapons. Since then we have made steady progress on our path, and membership in our non-partisan international NGO has now grown to 8,213 member cities in 166 countries and regions around the world.

At the First Meeting of States Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) held in June, the Vienna Declaration and Vienna Action Plan were adopted. These documents reaffirm the inhumanity of nuclear weapons, unequivocally condemn any threat of use of such weapons, and call for an increase in the number of ratifying states, as well as improvement and enrichment of victim assistance provision. Above all else, we heartily welcome that these documents reaffirm the compatibility and complementarity of the TPNW with the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).

While making efforts to lead the will of the public is one possible approach, we believe it is of the utmost importance rather to engage members of civil society, especially the younger generation—the driving force of the future. At the Second Meeting of States Parties to the TPNW, we will jointly hold this event with ICAN.

Voices of Civil Society for a Nuclear-Weapon-Free World

The event will feature messages from Mr. MATSUI Kazumi, Mayor of Hiroshima, Mr. MIMAKI Toshiyuki, Director of Hiroshima Hidankyo, hibakusha, Mr. SUZUKI Shiro, Mayor of Nagasaki, Dr. TOMONAGA Masao, Chairman of the Nagasaki Hibakusha Notebook Friendship Association (NHNFA), hibakusha, Presentation by youth (10 minutes) and Ms. Melissa Parke, Executive Director of ICAN, among others. 

The event will be conducted in English. With regard to messages from the hibakusha, consecutive interpretations will be provided from Japanese to English.