Students at G7 Youth Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Hiroshima call for peace with “Hiroshima Declaration”
Apr. 1, 2016
by Kyosuke Mizukawa, Staff Writer
On March 20, twenty-four junior high and high school students from seven nations, participants of the G7 Youth Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Hiroshima, announced a message of peace called the “Hiroshima Declaration.” In their message, the students ask the governments of the world to completely disarm all nuclear weapons by an internationally agreed date. They also pledge to take on the role, as youth, of conveying the inhumanity of nuclear arms with others. The students hope that their declaration will have an impact on the discussions at the meeting of G7 foreign ministers, which will take place in Hiroshima next month prior to the Group of Seven (G7) summit (Ise Shima summit).
On March 19, the students toured the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum and listened to the account of an A-bomb survivor. They then spent two days discussing issues involving peace. A session to present their work was held at the International Conference Center Hiroshima in Naka Ward on March 20 and the declaration was read out in English in front of an audience of about 200 citizens.
In the declaration, the youth delegates state that they recognize the severe inhumanity perpetrated by the use of nuclear weapons. The declaration also mentions that the five major nuclear powers, including the United States, the United Kingdom, and France, nations that will take part in the meeting of foreign ministers in Hiroshima, have not make sufficient efforts to reduce their nuclear arsenals. They urge the governments of nuclear nations to accelerate the pace of disarmament by setting a solid deadline, and take steps to prevent terrorists from using nuclear power to cause harm. Providing assistance to refugees was another recommendation by the young people. And looking toward the future, they also pledge to share facts and experiences on the horrific consequences of nuclear explosions with their peers in their home countries.
Tsugumi Inoue, 16, a first-year student at Hiroshima Prefectural High School, said, “I hope our declaration can help advance a peaceful world, even just a little.” Alvin Watts, 16, a delegate from the United States, said that he would like the foreign ministers to make greater efforts for nuclear disarmament, taking their visit to Hiroshima for the meeting as an opportunity to fortify their commitment. He added that he hopes U.S. President Barack Obama will visit Hiroshima in connection with his participation at the G7 summit.
On March 21, the final day of the meeting, the members will interact with students at Funairi High School located in Naka Ward, Hiroshima. The participants of the meeting from Japan will then hand the declaration document to Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on March 22.
(Originally published on March 21, 2016)
On March 20, twenty-four junior high and high school students from seven nations, participants of the G7 Youth Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Hiroshima, announced a message of peace called the “Hiroshima Declaration.” In their message, the students ask the governments of the world to completely disarm all nuclear weapons by an internationally agreed date. They also pledge to take on the role, as youth, of conveying the inhumanity of nuclear arms with others. The students hope that their declaration will have an impact on the discussions at the meeting of G7 foreign ministers, which will take place in Hiroshima next month prior to the Group of Seven (G7) summit (Ise Shima summit).
On March 19, the students toured the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum and listened to the account of an A-bomb survivor. They then spent two days discussing issues involving peace. A session to present their work was held at the International Conference Center Hiroshima in Naka Ward on March 20 and the declaration was read out in English in front of an audience of about 200 citizens.
In the declaration, the youth delegates state that they recognize the severe inhumanity perpetrated by the use of nuclear weapons. The declaration also mentions that the five major nuclear powers, including the United States, the United Kingdom, and France, nations that will take part in the meeting of foreign ministers in Hiroshima, have not make sufficient efforts to reduce their nuclear arsenals. They urge the governments of nuclear nations to accelerate the pace of disarmament by setting a solid deadline, and take steps to prevent terrorists from using nuclear power to cause harm. Providing assistance to refugees was another recommendation by the young people. And looking toward the future, they also pledge to share facts and experiences on the horrific consequences of nuclear explosions with their peers in their home countries.
Tsugumi Inoue, 16, a first-year student at Hiroshima Prefectural High School, said, “I hope our declaration can help advance a peaceful world, even just a little.” Alvin Watts, 16, a delegate from the United States, said that he would like the foreign ministers to make greater efforts for nuclear disarmament, taking their visit to Hiroshima for the meeting as an opportunity to fortify their commitment. He added that he hopes U.S. President Barack Obama will visit Hiroshima in connection with his participation at the G7 summit.
On March 21, the final day of the meeting, the members will interact with students at Funairi High School located in Naka Ward, Hiroshima. The participants of the meeting from Japan will then hand the declaration document to Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on March 22.
(Originally published on March 21, 2016)
