On July 7, 2021, the "Vision for Peaceful Transformation to a Sustainable World (PX Vision)" was adopted at the Executive Conference of Mayors for Peace, held online. It replaces the former 2020 Vision. This was the very day four years ago that the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons was adopted.
　In this new Vision, a new target was set: to "promote a culture of peace". In the Peace Declaration made by Hiroshima Mayor Matsui (President of Mayors for Peace) on August 6 this year, the mayor spoke about the need to promote a worldwide "culture of peace" and create an environment to encourage a policy shift among world leaders. He stated that if the determination to live in peace sweeps through civil society, who elect our leaders, and people renounce nuclear weapons, which symbolize human violence, we will take a definite step towards achieving a nuclear weapon-free world. This is a succinct summary of the significance of the new Vision, including "Promote a culture of peace", which is a more fundamental objective for civil society.
　A key pillar in the vision up until now was "Realize a world without nuclear weapons". This is a task that needs to be undertaken by all humankind. The second pillar of the vision was "Realize safe and resilient cities", which focused on initiatives taken by each region to address a variety of different issues. Compared with these, the new pillar of "Promote a culture of peace" includes the meaning of peace on a global scale while at the same time emphasizing the importance of efforts by each individual citizen in their daily lives. In that light, "Promote a culture of peace" contains various meanings; anyone can possess their unique "culture of peace" within themselves. To "promote" this does not mean doing anything in particular that is different from what has been done up until now.
　For example, "Promote a culture of peace" could refer to a hibakusha who has been speaking about his/her A-bomb experience based on the wish that "No one else should ever suffer as we have." As a more familiar example, people who pursue their own happiness, or pursue their family's peace and happiness could also be said to be implementing a wonderful promotion of a culture of peace. This is because such acts all lead to the creation of peace. In this way, promoting a culture of peace constitutes peace activities that can be conducted by anyone in any city, regardless of race, gender or age. This is why this new vision paves the way for a new horizon for peace.
　Mayors for Peace was started on June 24, 1982, at the United Nations General Assembly Devoted to Disarmament when the then-Hiroshima Mayor Araki called on the cities of the world to work in solidarity with each other across borders, and forge a path together for the abolition of nuclear weapons. This came to fruition in 1985 with the holding of the 1^st World Conference of Mayors for Peace through Inter-City Solidarity. In 2022, Mayors for Peace will celebrate its 40^th anniversary. Taking this opportunity, Mayors for Peace will loudly proclaim the target of "Promote a culture of peace", aiming for a peaceful world free of nuclear weapons.

Mayors for Peace adopts its new Vision and Action Plan

12^th Executive Conference of Mayors for Peace

　To date, Mayors for Peace has conducted various initiatives for the abolition of nuclear weapons, based on the 2020 Vision and with the hope of achieving the abolition of nuclear weapons while hibakusha are still alive. As the 2020 Vision ended at the end of the previous year, on July 7, 2021, the 12^th Mayors for Peace Executive Conference was held online, with 18 Executive Cities participating, including Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The Conference unanimously adopted the new Vision and the Action Plan up to 2025.

PX Vision

　The title of the new Vision is "Vision for Peaceful Transformation to a Sustainable World (PX Vision): Peacebuilding by Cities for Disarmament and Common Security". As the title indicates, our goal is to achieve a world in which all people can perpetually benefit from peace by realizing the total elimination of nuclear weapons and by attaining and maintaining peaceful coexistence between the whole of humanity. Based on the PX Vision, Mayors for Peace will build cities where citizens act with a strong sense of solidarity for the ultimate goal of realizing lasting world peace. To accomplish this, following three objects are set forth in the PX Vision: to realize a world without nuclear weapons, to realize safe and resilient cities, and to promote a culture of peace. 　With cities and the citizens who live in them being their targets, and catastrophic consequences on a global scale to be inflicted by their use, nuclear weapons are the greatest threat to the safety and security of citizens' lives.
　We will urge global leaders to effect peace-oriented policy change by calling on the UN and national governments, especially the nuclear-armed states and their allies, to take concrete action for the total elimination of nuclear weapons. 　In pursuit of ensuring citizens' safety and security, we will strive to address and solve a diverse range of issues distinctive to each member's region that are threatening the coexistence of the human race such as starvation, poverty, the plight of refugees, human rights abuses, and environmental degradation. 　We will seek both to create an environment that urges policymakers to demonstrate decisive leadership to effect peace-oriented policy changes that facilitate the abolition of nuclear weapons, and to establish a civil society in which citizens act with a strong sense of solidarity for the realization of peaceful coexistence between the whole of humanity. To that end, we will cultivate peace consciousness and cause a culture of peace―a culture in which the everyday actions of each member of the public are grounded in thinking about peace―to take root in civil society as the foundation of lasting world peace.

Mayors for Peace Action Plan (2021-2025)

　The Action Plan, adopted at the same time as the Vision, incorporates initiatives to be implemented together with member cities based on the three objectives of the Vision, in order to ensure the safety and security of the citizens from the threat of nuclear weapons, and at the same time enable the sustainable and peaceful coexistence of human race. 　In Objective A: Realize a world without nuclear weapons, initiatives will be pursued that are based on sharing the wishes of the hibakusha.
　Specifically, to achieve the abolition of nuclear weapons, which the hibakusha have appealed for over many long years, Mayors for Peace will work on expanding the number of countries to ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), in order to maximize the influence of this treaty, which entered into force in January 2021. To do this, we will urge nuclear-armed states and their allies to first participate in the Meetings of States Parties as observers, and then to join discussions for effective implementation of the treaty and good faith engagement to achieve universal nuclear disarmament regime.
　We will also take various opportunities, including international conferences on nuclear disarmament such as the NPT (Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons) Review Conference and the Meetings of States Parties to the TPNW, to make appeals on the importance of moving away from nuclear deterrence, full implementation of the NPT nuclear disarmament obligations, and visiting the atomic bombed cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. To address these, we will urge the United Nations and national governments to establish a common security framework that is based on mutual cooperation, to make substantial progress on nuclear disarmament toward the total abolition of nuclear weapons, based on the earnest wishes of the hibakusha.
　In addition, we will continue our signature petition calling for all states to join the TPNW as soon as possible, as a way to call on a wide range of citizens to encourage their governments to change their policies. 　In Objective B: Realize safe and resilient cities, we will promote initiatives in each region of the world to solve a diverse range of issues and challenges such as terrorism, the plight of refugees, environmental degradation, acceptance of diversity and promotion of inclusion. The aim is to contribute to a sustainable Earth and society by promoting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set forth by the United Nations. The 24 Lead Cities in countries around the world will take the initiative in implementing activities that match the situation distinctive to each member's region. 　In order to reinforce the above objectives (Realize a world without nuclear weapons; and Realize safe and resilient cities), we believe it is important to foster and expand international public support for lasting world peace. Under Objective C: Promote a culture of peace, we will promote three initiatives.
　First, we will hold a variety of events of art, sports, etc. to encourage more citizens to think about the importance of peace and to cultivate peace consciousness in civil society. In close collaboration with international peace research institutes, we will share relevant information on nuclear weapons on the Mayors for Peace website and in the monthly newsletter.
　To have as many people as possible deepen their understanding of the realities of the atomic bombings and war, we will also hold poster exhibitions and provide opportunities for people to hear atomic bomb testimonies and talks on war experiences.
　In addition, in order to encourage young people, who will be responsible for peace activities in the next generation, to deepen their understanding of the realities of the atomic bombings, to think about the importance of peace, and to work proactively for a peaceful world without nuclear weapons, we will promote efforts to enhance peace education, such as the "Children's Art Competition ‘Peaceful Towns’" and to spread educational activities on peace and disarmament. 　Sustainable development of Mayors for Peace as an organization will be key to consistent implementation of the above initiatives. For that reason, we will promote the following five initiatives: expansion of our membership, enhancement of member city initiatives, collaboration with a diverse range of groups, strengthening of the functions of the Secretariat, and improvement of our financial capability.
　Specifically, while expanding our membership with the aim of achieving 10,000 cities, we will enhance the above activities and promote collaboration with international organizations, NGOs, and peace research institutes.
　We will also work to share information through social media and conduct public relations activities to make more people aware of the activities of Mayors for Peace, gain a greater number of supporters, and receive donations and other forms of support. Based on this new PX Vision and Action Plan, Mayors for Peace, together with its member cities, will work tirelessly toward the realization of lasting world peace.