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High school peace ambassadors report on their activities at U.N. headquarters in Geneva

by Kyosuke Mizukawa, Staff Writer

On August 25, three high school students from Hiroshima Prefecture, who visited United Nations headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland as part of the 19th Annual High School Student Peace Ambassador Program this month, took part in a press conference at Hiroshima City Hall and reported on their activities that appealed for the abolition of nuclear weapons.

Miyu Okada, 15, who lives in the city of Mihara and is a first-year student at Prefectural Hiroshima Senior High School, said that the youth ambassadors submitted the signatures of around 125,000 people calling for nuclear abolition to the U.N. Office for Disarmament Affairs. These signatures were collected by high school students throughout Japan. She added that the U.N. official who received the signatures told them their efforts were important and encouraged their activities. “Even if our efforts are small, I think it’s vital to take action,” Ms. Okada said.

Nanako Yoshida, 17, a resident of Aki Ward, Hiroshima, is a second-year student at Notre Dame Seishin Senior High School. She said, “It’s hard to say that the government of Japan, as the A-bombed nation, is taking a leadership role in advancing the abolition of nuclear weapons. I want to help boost momentum for creating a nuclear weapons convention through our grassroots campaign.” When the signatures were submitted, Ms. Yoshida gave a speech, in English, about her grandfather’s experience of the atomic bombing.

Minami Ito, 17, also a resident of Aki Ward, is a second-year student at Funairi High School. She described their interactions with local high school students during their time in Switzerland, saying, “The students there were eager to ask us questions about current conditions in Hiroshima. I think they took more interest in Hiroshima because of the recent visit by U.S. President Barack Obama.”

The three students were selected to serve as ambassadors by the High School Peace Ambassador Dispatch Committee, an organization based in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. They traveled to Switzerland from August 14 to 18 together with 19 other students from outside Hiroshima Prefecture. In Geneva, they observed the conference on disarmament at U.N. headquarters and a high school student from Nagasaki Prefecture delivered a speech at the event.

(Originally published on August 26, 2016)

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