A-bomb survivors arrive in New York as NPT Review Conference opens
May 1, 2015
by Michiko Tanaka, Staff Writer
NEW YORK--The Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), a gathering held every five years where officials and delegates from some 190 member countries and states come together to discuss measures to advance nuclear disarmament and related issues, is set to open on April 27 at United Nations headquarters in New York. Survivors of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki arrived in New York ahead of the conference. Their purpose for attending the conference and taking part in related events is to call attention to the inhumane nature of nuclear weapons in this important year, which marks the 70th anniversary of the atomic bombings. On April 24 and 25, prior to the plenary session, an international conference was held by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to increase momentum among the international community for the realization of “a world without nuclear weapons.”
The NPT Review Conference, scheduled to run until May 22, will explore concrete measures for three major objectives: nuclear disarmament, nuclear non-proliferation, and the peaceful use of nuclear energy. At the last Review Conference in 2010, the parties adopted a final document, including a 64-point action plan. This year, however, due to international tensions over nuclear weapons and conflict between the United States and Russia, the world’s nuclear super powers, the conference is expected to face rough going to reach an agreement. Negotiations will also focus on whether member countries can move forward on outlawing nuclear weapons in light of rising global awareness of the inhumane nature of nuclear weapons.
The “International Peace & Planet Conference,” organized by more than 65 peace-promoting NGOs which support a successful outcome to the Review Conference, opened on the evening of April 24. Sumiteru Taniguchi, 86, a Nagasaki resident and co-chair of the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations (Hidankyo), took the stage. Recounting his experience of the atomic bombing on a street 1.8 kilometers from the Nagasaki hypocenter at the age of 16, in which he suffered severe burns to his back, Mr. Taniguchi stressed, “Nuclear weapons don’t allow atomic bomb survivors to live or die as human beings. Nuclear weapons are the greatest crime against humanity.” He held up startling photos of the burns to his back, taken five months after the bombing, and said in a strained voice, “No More Hiroshimas and No More Nagasakis.”
Setsuko Thurlow, 83, a Toronto resident and a survivor of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, said “On behalf of all atomic bomb survivors, I make this appeal: ‘Now is the time to ban all nuclear weapons.’” Her statement elicited applause from some 450 participants.
On April 25, the second day of the NGO conference, the plenary session was held with Thore Vestby, the mayor of Frogn, Norway, one of the Vice President Cities of Mayors for Peace, introducing initiatives to abolish nuclear weapons. He called on the international community to work together to achieve this goal. Also taking the stage and making appeals were Tony de Brum, the foreign minister of the Marshall Islands, and a Korean A-bomb survivor.
(Originally published on April 26, 2015)
NEW YORK--The Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), a gathering held every five years where officials and delegates from some 190 member countries and states come together to discuss measures to advance nuclear disarmament and related issues, is set to open on April 27 at United Nations headquarters in New York. Survivors of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki arrived in New York ahead of the conference. Their purpose for attending the conference and taking part in related events is to call attention to the inhumane nature of nuclear weapons in this important year, which marks the 70th anniversary of the atomic bombings. On April 24 and 25, prior to the plenary session, an international conference was held by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to increase momentum among the international community for the realization of “a world without nuclear weapons.”
The NPT Review Conference, scheduled to run until May 22, will explore concrete measures for three major objectives: nuclear disarmament, nuclear non-proliferation, and the peaceful use of nuclear energy. At the last Review Conference in 2010, the parties adopted a final document, including a 64-point action plan. This year, however, due to international tensions over nuclear weapons and conflict between the United States and Russia, the world’s nuclear super powers, the conference is expected to face rough going to reach an agreement. Negotiations will also focus on whether member countries can move forward on outlawing nuclear weapons in light of rising global awareness of the inhumane nature of nuclear weapons.
The “International Peace & Planet Conference,” organized by more than 65 peace-promoting NGOs which support a successful outcome to the Review Conference, opened on the evening of April 24. Sumiteru Taniguchi, 86, a Nagasaki resident and co-chair of the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations (Hidankyo), took the stage. Recounting his experience of the atomic bombing on a street 1.8 kilometers from the Nagasaki hypocenter at the age of 16, in which he suffered severe burns to his back, Mr. Taniguchi stressed, “Nuclear weapons don’t allow atomic bomb survivors to live or die as human beings. Nuclear weapons are the greatest crime against humanity.” He held up startling photos of the burns to his back, taken five months after the bombing, and said in a strained voice, “No More Hiroshimas and No More Nagasakis.”
Setsuko Thurlow, 83, a Toronto resident and a survivor of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, said “On behalf of all atomic bomb survivors, I make this appeal: ‘Now is the time to ban all nuclear weapons.’” Her statement elicited applause from some 450 participants.
On April 25, the second day of the NGO conference, the plenary session was held with Thore Vestby, the mayor of Frogn, Norway, one of the Vice President Cities of Mayors for Peace, introducing initiatives to abolish nuclear weapons. He called on the international community to work together to achieve this goal. Also taking the stage and making appeals were Tony de Brum, the foreign minister of the Marshall Islands, and a Korean A-bomb survivor.
(Originally published on April 26, 2015)
