World Conference on the abolition of nuclear weapons to be held in the U.S. next month cancelled
Mar. 13, 2020
by Junji Akechi, Staff Writer
On March 12, it was announced that the World Conference on the abolition of nuclear weapons, an international non-governmental organization (NGO), cancelled its planned New York gathering. The conference was to precede the 2020 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) scheduled for April at United Nations headquarters in New York because of the spread of the novel coronavirus. The U.N. is making an effort to postpone international conferences, but some people are concerned that the NPT Review Conference will not be held as scheduled.
The cancelled World Conference, had been proposed by the International Peace Bureau, a pacifist organization headquartered in Germany, and other groups, and it was scheduled to be held in New York on April 24, 25. Representatives of about 20 bodies, including the Japan Council against Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs (Gensuikyo), the Japan Congress against the A- and H-Bombs (Gensuikin), and the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations (Nihon Hidankyo), are listed as organizers. A demonstration march was also planned on April 26.
According to those involved, representatives from each body decided to cancel the World Conference and demonstration march in a telephone conference on March 11. The U.N. postponed scheduled international conferences one after another that were to be held in March and April, and in principle, no outsiders are allowed to enter the U.N. headquarters. The decision was made in line with the fact that measures to prevent the infection from spreading were strengthened in New York, such as a declaration of a state of emergency made by the State of New York.
The 2020 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the NPT, held once every five years, will take place from April 27 through May 22. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the NPT’s entry into effect, but some experts proposed postponement of the conference. Toshiyuki Mimaki, 77, acting chair of the Hiroshima Prefectural Confederation of A-bomb Survivors Organizations (Hiroshima Hidankyo, chaired by Sunao Tsuboi) who planned to attend the conference said, “We have drawings and photos to relate our accounts to visitors in New York. I hope the conference will be held as scheduled.”
(Originally published on March 13, 2020)
On March 12, it was announced that the World Conference on the abolition of nuclear weapons, an international non-governmental organization (NGO), cancelled its planned New York gathering. The conference was to precede the 2020 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) scheduled for April at United Nations headquarters in New York because of the spread of the novel coronavirus. The U.N. is making an effort to postpone international conferences, but some people are concerned that the NPT Review Conference will not be held as scheduled.
The cancelled World Conference, had been proposed by the International Peace Bureau, a pacifist organization headquartered in Germany, and other groups, and it was scheduled to be held in New York on April 24, 25. Representatives of about 20 bodies, including the Japan Council against Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs (Gensuikyo), the Japan Congress against the A- and H-Bombs (Gensuikin), and the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations (Nihon Hidankyo), are listed as organizers. A demonstration march was also planned on April 26.
According to those involved, representatives from each body decided to cancel the World Conference and demonstration march in a telephone conference on March 11. The U.N. postponed scheduled international conferences one after another that were to be held in March and April, and in principle, no outsiders are allowed to enter the U.N. headquarters. The decision was made in line with the fact that measures to prevent the infection from spreading were strengthened in New York, such as a declaration of a state of emergency made by the State of New York.
The 2020 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the NPT, held once every five years, will take place from April 27 through May 22. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the NPT’s entry into effect, but some experts proposed postponement of the conference. Toshiyuki Mimaki, 77, acting chair of the Hiroshima Prefectural Confederation of A-bomb Survivors Organizations (Hiroshima Hidankyo, chaired by Sunao Tsuboi) who planned to attend the conference said, “We have drawings and photos to relate our accounts to visitors in New York. I hope the conference will be held as scheduled.”
(Originally published on March 13, 2020)
