In 1970, the world's nuclear powers and nearly all other nations (a total of 189 now) decided to eliminate nuclear weapons. This decision took the form of a bargain: the non-nuclear nations agreed not to develop their own nuclear weapons and the nuclear-weapon states (the US, the former USSR, England, France and China) agreed to get rid of theirs. This bargain was articulated in the Treaty on the Non-proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, usually called the NPT. However, during the Cold War, the nuclear-weapon states claimed that their national security depended on nuclear weapons, so they continually put off their end of the bargain.
The final document adopted at the NPT Review Conference in 2000 included the promise of "an unequivocal undertaking by the nuclear-weapon states to accomplish the total elimination of the nuclear arsenals" as steps toward the abolition of nuclear weapons, for which Hiroshima and Nagasaki have earnestly wished.
When we look at the current world situation, the United States, the only nuclear superpower, has publicly declared its willingness to launch a preemptive first strike with nuclear weapons. It has openly stated its intention to develop small "useable" nuclear weapons. North Korea has withdrawn from the NPT and has mentioned that it plans to build and possess nuclear weapons. All of these efforts are clear violations of the NPT and made it on the verge of collapse; and we cannot see the positive outlook for the nuclear free world.
This behavior by such countries is creating an extremely dangerous situation. It has provoked greater rigidity among the other potential nuclear-weapon states and terrorists to obtain nuclear weapons as a deterrent. Nations, states, and cities around the world are tightening security in the effort to fight terrorism; many cities are overhauling their plans to respond to terrorist attacks with weapons of mass destruction.
Though it may be reasonable for cities to make plans for attacks by biological or chemical wea‰ns, no city can prepare in any meaningful way for a nuclear attack. Given that there is no possible defense or preparation for a nuclear attack, there is only one way to protect ourselves from these heinous, illegal weapons. We must get rid of them all as soon as possible.
What?
In August 1945, atomic bombs instantaneously reduced the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki to rubble, taking hundreds of thousands of precious lives. Today, more than fifty years after the war, thousands of citizens still suffer the devastating aftereffects of radiation and unfathomable emotional pain. To prevent any repetition of the A-bomb tragedy, the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki have continually sought to tell the world about the inhumane cruelty of nuclear weapons and have consistently urged that nuclear weapons be abolished.
On June 24, 1982, at the 2nd UN Special Session on Disarmament held at UN Headquarters in New York, then Mayor Takeshi Araki of Hiroshima proposed a new Program to Promote the Solidarity of Cities toward the Total Abolition of Nuclear Weapons. This proposal offered cities a way to transcend national borders and work together to press for nuclear abolition. Subsequently, the mayors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki called on mayors around the world to support this program.
The Mayors for Peace is composed of cities around the world that have formally expressed support for the program Mayor Araki announced in 1982. As of February 7, 2005, membership stood at 714 cities in 110 countries and regions. In March 1990, the Mayors Conference was officially registered as a UN NGO related to the Department of Public Information. In May 1991, it became a Category II NGO(currently called a NGO in "Special Consultative Status") registered with the Economic and Social Council.
When and where?
The current events of the campaign are:
1) The NPT Review Conference will take place May 2nd 2005. Please begin now talking to your community and ensuring that as many of you as possible will be in New York at that time.
2) The main public event will be a march and rally that will take place on May 1. Current plans call for three Parade routes converging on Central Park from the North, South, and East. Mayors for Peace will have its own section at the front of the parade from the United Nations (East). In Central Park, a massive Rally will be held with a number (to be determined) of big city mayors speaking. That evening, there will Benefit Concert for Mayors for Peace. Please be in New York on May 1 if you possibly can. If you cannot go to New York, please organize a sympathy demonstration in your city. These events should be as big and as high-profile as possible, and they should clearly state the demand that the NPT Review Conference produce a meaningful ban on nuclear weapons and a plan for getting rid of them.
3) On the second day of the Review Conference, 3 May, the roles will be reversed. The diplomats will be invited to the lunch session of the Conference of Mayors at the United Nations. The UN Secretary General and the Heads of Delegations from key countries have been invited to engage in a dialogue with the mayors.
4) On the third day of the Review Conference, 4 May, a plenary session of the Review Conference will be devoted to presentations by non-governmental organization representatives, among them half-a-dozen members of the Mayors for Peace delegation.
5) The next events will be determined based on the results of the Review Conference. If the Review Conference fails to produce satisfactory results, we intend to move to a track-2 negotiation process similar to the Ottawa Process that produced the international ban on landmines. We intend to have a meaningful ban on nuclear weapons one way or another.
How?
The campaign is being funded by Hiroshima and Nagasaki but the funds available are minimal. We need to raise more money if we are to produce a first-quality video of the PrepCom, invite well-known speakers and artists to events, send people from Hiroshima and Nagasaki to events in other cities around the world, and communicate to a wider audience through advertising and public outreach.
What Mayors Can Do
A) Plan now to attend the NPT Review Conference 2005 and participate in your local August events. Make a special effort to encourage local events timed with the NPT PrepCom or Review Conference.
B) Work with NGOs and peace groups in your city to hold high-profile events in your city during Hiroshima-Nagasaki Days (on or around August 6-9).
C) Publicly express your position regarding nuclear weapons.
D) Assign someone on your staff to serve as NPT Campaign project manager, who will:
1) Call together peace and justice groups in your city and help them form an NPT campaign committee.
2) Help that group obtain whatever assistance the city can provide for their peace actions in April 2004, August 2004, and April 2005.Communicate with Campaign Headquarters in Hiroshima or Atlanta.
E) If you are unable to attend the Review Conference, please send a representative. This representative could be a deputy mayor or an individual who has made a meaningful contribution to the cause, such as a high school student who wins an NPT-related essay contest.
F) Work with local NGOs and peace groups on a fundraising campaign to support local activities and make a significant donation to Mayors for Peace to help finance the international campaign.
http://www.pcf.city.hiroshima.jp/mayors/english/topic/ex%20ECBNW.html