‘Nuclear weapons have no place in our world,’ UN chief tells mayors in Nagasaki
By R Anil Kumar
Nagasaki (Japan). 80 years after the United States dropped two atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the “only guarantee” against the use of nuclear weapons today is their “total elimination”, the UN Secretary-General said on, August 8.
Inspired by the hibakusha, survivors of the atomic bombings at the end of World War Two who turned their suffering into a powerful appeal for peace, António Guterres renewed his call for a world free of nuclear weapons in a video message to the 11th General Conference of Mayors for Peace in Nagasaki.
United against nuclear weapons, the conference is an opportunity for mayors from around the world to discuss and adopt key priorities in support of global denuclearisation.
‘No place for Nuclear Weapons in our world’
“Nuclear weapons have no place in our world,” said Mr. Guterres in his video-message, as they only offer the “illusion of safety and the certainty of devastation,” he said.
Calling for the total elimination of nuclear weapons, the Secretary-General urged all participants at the conference to “keep mobilising communities, inspiring young people, and building peace from the ground up.”
“I urge all States to recommit to nuclear disarmament,” he said.
A better world
“I commend Mayors for Peace for your unwavering commitment to a better world,” said Secretary-General, as the organization aims at creating real momentum for the realisation of a peaceful world without nuclear weapons.
In honour of the hibakusha, and in the memory of the victims of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Mr. Guterres made an impassioned call for action to end the nuclear threat once and for all.
The Nobel Peace Prize was just awarded to Nihon Hidankyo, a Japanese anti-nuclear weapons organization, reflecting its invaluable work to raise awareness about the horrific consequences of their use.
The UN has sought to create a nuclear-weapon-free world since its inception in 1945 shortly after the end of the Second World War and the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
