Civilians all over the world are threatened. "Never again" would a nuclear weapon be used, it was said after the bombs which destroyed Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Yet mankind does not seem to learn from its mistakes. The International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (Nobel Peace Prize 1985) have always made clear there is no medical answer to a nuclear bomb explosion, as was proven in 1945. Therefore from its inception in 1982, IPPNW supported Mayors for Peace. Mayors for Peace continues to help mayors all over the globe to become active within their communities and to make clear to governments that serious progress is necessary to prevent a nuclear holocaust.
Both Kofi Annan and ElBaradei, as well as influential leaders in the US, stated the same in 2006. Over 1.600 mayors are already active.
A conference was held at the Peace Palace in the Hague in July 2006, anniversary of the Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice, stating that "There exists an obligation to pursue in good faith and bring to a conclusion negotiations leading to nuclear disarmament in all its aspects under strict and effective international control", yet also acknowledging that little progress in disarmament was made since. The 2020 Vision Campaign of Mayors for Peace has focused on eliciting a substantive multilateral negotiating process leading to a framework agreement on nuclear disarmament and eventually to a full-fledged nuclear weapons convention. The challenge now is to ensure that all nations "pursue in good faith and bring to a conclusion" these negotiations.
Mayor Akiba was the inspirator of the conference and tirelessly continues to spread this vision around the world. The reports of the discussions in The Hague at the Peace Palace and elsewhere will help you to explain the 2020 vision in your communities. I sincerely hope the report will find wide distribution, not only to the members of Mayors for Peace in the Netherlands and elsewhere, but also to other mayors and activists who are following this issue with concern. May it be an inspiration to all to continue the work which the mayors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki started.
Herman Spanjaard
Chairman of the NVMP, the Dutch branch of the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War.
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