It is worth remembering that, while the spectre of nuclear weapons use -- between the U.S. and North Korea -- looms again, it was the work of the Hibakusha of Japan, and many others, that secured The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons at the United Nations on July 7, 2017, which explicitly bans nuclear weapons. It was adopted by 122 nations, a figure representing 60 percent of all United Nations’ member states.
Mayors for Peace met recently in Nagasaki and issued this Mayors for Peace Special Resolution Requesting the Early Bringing into Effect of the Treaty Prohibiting Nuclear Weapons.
“We call on the cities around the world to unite in cross-border cooperation to pave the way towards the abolition of nuclear weapons.”
This call made by the Mayors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki led to the establishment of “Mayors for Peace.” Since then, we have appealed for the establishment of a legal framework to prohibit nuclear weapons as we believed it to be essential in achieving their abolition.
On July 7, 2017, these efforts bore fruit. The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, which explicitly bans nuclear weapons, was adopted at United Nations Headquarters by 122 nations, a figure representing 60 percent of all United Nations’ member states. This was made possible by the heartfelt appeal by the hibakusha and like-minded people that “nuclear weapons should be abolished,” an appeal that gained worldwide support and moved the nations. Mayors for Peace with 7,417 member cities from 162 countries and regions, wholeheartedly welcomes the adoption of this treaty.
The 9th General Conference of Mayors of Peace was held after the adoption of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. At the General Conference, we the members of the Mayors for Peace, renewed our determination to strive for the realization of a world without nuclear weapons.
“Let Nagasaki be the last atomic-bombed site in the world.”
Here in Nagasaki, we Mayors for Peace affirmed that these words are the common wish and will of civil society and resolved our commitment to perpetuate these words for all time.
Mayors for Peace hereby resolves to urge all nations, including the nuclear-armed states, to join the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons and bring it into effect at the earliest possible date.
Nagasaki City, Japan
August 10, 2017