Call for the start of negotiations for a nuclear weapons convention
May 6, 2010
by Kohei Okata, Staff Writer, dispatched from New York
The two-day International Conference for a Nuclear-free, Peaceful, Just and Sustainable World, organized in New York by nearly 300 NGOs in the run-up to the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference, ended on the evening of May 1 after adopting a declaration calling for the start of negotiations for a nuclear weapons convention and other efforts. Participants from Hiroshima joined the discussion in conference sessions and disseminated the city's determination to achieve the abolition of nuclear weapons.
The declaration calls on nations to begin negotiations at the review conference to conclude a nuclear weapons convention which would outlaw nuclear weapons by 2020. In a speech made that day, Hiroshima Mayor Tadatoshi Akiba said, "World leaders opposed to nuclear abolition by 2020 should pay visits to Hiroshima and Nagasaki."
Nearly 20 sessions were held on May 1. In a session titled "Global Hibakusha: Testimonies of Atomic and Hydrogen Bomb Witnesses/Survivors," Junko Kayashige, 71, who was exposed to the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, took part. Referring to her experience of losing two sisters in the blast, she said, "The people alive today, like us, should act to eliminate nuclear weapons."
In addition, Haruko Moritaki, co-director of the Hiroshima Alliance for Nuclear Weapons Abolition (HANWA), and Toshiyuki Tanaka, professor at the Hiroshima Peace Institute of Hiroshima City University, spoke about the damage caused by depleted uranium. Meanwhile, Hiroyuki Fujita, chairman of the Hiroshima City Council, stressed the role of cities in impacting international politics.
On the evening of May 1 at the International Conference for a Nuclear-free, Peaceful, Just and Sustainable World, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon shared his strong commitment to seek the realization of a nuclear-free world by stating "Disarm now!" and urging the nuclear weapon states to fulfill their obligations with regard to nuclear disarmament.
In his address to the conference, Mr. Ban explained that he had made nuclear abolition a top priority since assuming his post. Touching on his scheduled visit to Hiroshima in August, the secretary-general said forcefully, "I want to say it loud and clear: Let us achieve a nuclear-free world." In regard to the NPT Review Conference opening on May 3, Mr. Ban stressed, "The previous conference in 2005 was a failure. We should not repeat the same mistake." Mr. Ban cited the U.S. Nuclear Posture Review (NPR) and the signing of a new disarmament treaty between the United States and Russia as favorable developments, while expressing concern over the nuclear programs pursued by Iran and North Korea.
In addition, Secretary-General Ban indicated his intention, at the NPT Review Conference, to call on the nuclear weapon states to fulfill their obligation to pursue effective measures for nuclear disarmament in good faith, as stipulated by the NPT. Mr. Ban contended that such nations have not made sufficient efforts in this regard.
(Originally published on May 3, 2010)
The two-day International Conference for a Nuclear-free, Peaceful, Just and Sustainable World, organized in New York by nearly 300 NGOs in the run-up to the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference, ended on the evening of May 1 after adopting a declaration calling for the start of negotiations for a nuclear weapons convention and other efforts. Participants from Hiroshima joined the discussion in conference sessions and disseminated the city's determination to achieve the abolition of nuclear weapons.
The declaration calls on nations to begin negotiations at the review conference to conclude a nuclear weapons convention which would outlaw nuclear weapons by 2020. In a speech made that day, Hiroshima Mayor Tadatoshi Akiba said, "World leaders opposed to nuclear abolition by 2020 should pay visits to Hiroshima and Nagasaki."
Nearly 20 sessions were held on May 1. In a session titled "Global Hibakusha: Testimonies of Atomic and Hydrogen Bomb Witnesses/Survivors," Junko Kayashige, 71, who was exposed to the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, took part. Referring to her experience of losing two sisters in the blast, she said, "The people alive today, like us, should act to eliminate nuclear weapons."
In addition, Haruko Moritaki, co-director of the Hiroshima Alliance for Nuclear Weapons Abolition (HANWA), and Toshiyuki Tanaka, professor at the Hiroshima Peace Institute of Hiroshima City University, spoke about the damage caused by depleted uranium. Meanwhile, Hiroyuki Fujita, chairman of the Hiroshima City Council, stressed the role of cities in impacting international politics.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon shares determination for nuclear abolition
On the evening of May 1 at the International Conference for a Nuclear-free, Peaceful, Just and Sustainable World, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon shared his strong commitment to seek the realization of a nuclear-free world by stating "Disarm now!" and urging the nuclear weapon states to fulfill their obligations with regard to nuclear disarmament.
In his address to the conference, Mr. Ban explained that he had made nuclear abolition a top priority since assuming his post. Touching on his scheduled visit to Hiroshima in August, the secretary-general said forcefully, "I want to say it loud and clear: Let us achieve a nuclear-free world." In regard to the NPT Review Conference opening on May 3, Mr. Ban stressed, "The previous conference in 2005 was a failure. We should not repeat the same mistake." Mr. Ban cited the U.S. Nuclear Posture Review (NPR) and the signing of a new disarmament treaty between the United States and Russia as favorable developments, while expressing concern over the nuclear programs pursued by Iran and North Korea.
In addition, Secretary-General Ban indicated his intention, at the NPT Review Conference, to call on the nuclear weapon states to fulfill their obligation to pursue effective measures for nuclear disarmament in good faith, as stipulated by the NPT. Mr. Ban contended that such nations have not made sufficient efforts in this regard.
(Originally published on May 3, 2010)
