U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to attend August 6 Peace Ceremony—the first Secretary-General visit in 12 years
Jul. 1, 2022
by Hajime Niiyama, Staff Writer
On June 30, the City of Hiroshima announced U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will attend the Peace Memorial Ceremony to be held on August 6. The city government received an e-mail addressed to Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui on June 29 that informs of his upcoming attendance. If realized, this will be the first time for Mr. Guterres to attend the ceremony, and it will be the first visit in 12 years for a U.N. Secretary-General since his predecessor Ban Ki-moon attended the Peace Memorial Ceremony in 2010.
The City of Hiroshima sent an invitation letter to attend the ceremony to the United Nations on May 31. On June 29, the city government received a reply from the U.N. Secretary-General’s Office stating his great appreciation for the invitation and that the Secretary-General was pleased to accept the invitation.
Mr. Guterres has consistently insisted the importance of achieving a world without nuclear weapons, and he expressed the same view in a video speech at the First Meeting of States Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons held in Vienna, Austria, June 21 to 23. The Hiroshima City government hopes Mr. Guterres will deliver a message directly during the ceremony if he attends.
A concrete schedule or itinerary, including whether Mr. Guterres will visit the Peace Memorial Museum, has still not been determined. It will be coordinated between the city government, the United Nations and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Mr. Guterres had expressed his intention to attend the ceremony in 2020 and 2021, but had to postpone his plan due to the restrictions on entry into Japan as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, instead of attending the ceremony, he delivered a video message, in which he stated, “The only way to totally eliminate nuclear risk is totally eliminate nuclear weapons.”
(Originally published on July 1, 2022.)
On June 30, the City of Hiroshima announced U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will attend the Peace Memorial Ceremony to be held on August 6. The city government received an e-mail addressed to Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui on June 29 that informs of his upcoming attendance. If realized, this will be the first time for Mr. Guterres to attend the ceremony, and it will be the first visit in 12 years for a U.N. Secretary-General since his predecessor Ban Ki-moon attended the Peace Memorial Ceremony in 2010.
The City of Hiroshima sent an invitation letter to attend the ceremony to the United Nations on May 31. On June 29, the city government received a reply from the U.N. Secretary-General’s Office stating his great appreciation for the invitation and that the Secretary-General was pleased to accept the invitation.
Mr. Guterres has consistently insisted the importance of achieving a world without nuclear weapons, and he expressed the same view in a video speech at the First Meeting of States Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons held in Vienna, Austria, June 21 to 23. The Hiroshima City government hopes Mr. Guterres will deliver a message directly during the ceremony if he attends.
A concrete schedule or itinerary, including whether Mr. Guterres will visit the Peace Memorial Museum, has still not been determined. It will be coordinated between the city government, the United Nations and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Mr. Guterres had expressed his intention to attend the ceremony in 2020 and 2021, but had to postpone his plan due to the restrictions on entry into Japan as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, instead of attending the ceremony, he delivered a video message, in which he stated, “The only way to totally eliminate nuclear risk is totally eliminate nuclear weapons.”
(Originally published on July 1, 2022.)
