On October 19 and 20, Mayors for Peace held its 10^th General Conference in Hiroshima with the keynote theme of "Creating a Peaceful, Nuclear-Weapon-Free World: Cultivating a Culture of Peace in Civil Society."

Opening Ceremony

　The General Conference opened with a video commemorating the 40^th anniversary of the establishment of Mayors for Peace and reflecting on its 40 years of progress.
　In his opening remarks at the Opening Ceremony, President Matsui, Mayor of Hiroshima, stated that we must encourage policymakers to effect changes in their policies toward the realization of a peaceful world free from nuclear weapons and focus even more on cultivating the culture of peace with the momentum gained from the G7 summit to be held in Hiroshima next year (2023).
　And in a video message of support for the Conference from United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, he stating that nuclear risks are accelerating but we cannot give up.

Hibakusha Testimony

　Ms. Kajimoto was exposed to the atomic bomb when she was 14 years old. She expressed her conviction to communicate the realities of the atomic bombing to as many people as possible, and stated that the total elimination of nuclear weapons can definitely be accomplished with a collective power of all who seek peace, bolstered by the spirit of the departed hibakusha.

I PRAY－Hiroshima's children pray for peace through drama

　Children of Hiroshima call for the importance of peace through creative drama－performing scenes of a peaceful, ordinary morning of Hiroshima before the atomic bombing, Hiroshima after the bombing, and the reconstruction of Hiroshima.

Session I

　The Conference, chaired by Mayor Matsui, deliberated over "Establishment of the Mayors for Peace Supporter System" and more, and adopted them as originally proposed.
　By using social media to attract mainly the younger generation, the Mayors for Peace Supporter System is to build a consensus in civil society in favor of the realization of a peaceful, nuclear-weapon-free world, which will urge policymakers to effect policy change.

Session II

　Mr. Thomas Hajnoczi, Executive Advisor of Mayors for Peace served as the Moderator, the Conference participants discussed member city roles and engagement in creating a peaceful future free of nuclear weapons through the presentations by member cities―Mayor Alba Barnusell of Granollers, Spain; Ms. Alia Hassan-Cournol, City Councillor of Montreal, Canada; Mayor Belit Onay of Hannover, Germany; Mayor Kazuo Nagami of Kunitachi, Japan.

Commemorative Lecture

　Former Under-Secretary-General and an advocator of the "Culture of Peace", Ambassador Anwarul K. Chowdhury gave the Commemorative Lecture that themed "Advancing the Culture of Peace to Create a Better World with Communities at the Center". He stated that real peace means the end of discrimination, prejudice, injustice, and inequality, and concluded his lecture by calling for the participants to advance the culture of peace together, with words of encouragement stating that cities have the potential to shape the future of humankind and to achieve sustainable peace and development for a better world.

Panel Discussion

　Secretary General Takashi Koizumi of Mayors for Peace (chairperson of this Foundation) served as a moderator, and with the theme of "Localizing the Culture of Peace for Greater Impact", four Panelists―Former Under-Secretary-General of the UN Ambassador Chowdhury, President Matsui and Vice President Tomihisa Taue (Mayor of Nagasaki)―held a discussion.
　President Matsui shared his opinion that when people demonstrate their ability to be compassionate to others—people in both in-groups and outgroups— they could coexist peacefully and maintain good relationships.
　Vice President Taue compared ways of thinking and rules to computer operating systems, and peacebuilding by our own to applications, and stated we must rewrite the old OS to a new one to be compatible with new apps.
　Former Under-Secretary-General Chowdhury mentioned the importance of promoting gender equality at the UN level, stressing that the UN must appoint a female Secretary-General.

Session III

　As the Remarks by guest, State Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, Mr. Shunsuke Takei stated that the government will further deepen the collaboration with Mayors for Peace to boost momentum for nuclear disarmament.
　Then, Ms. Shiho Nabara, A-bomb Legacy Successor served as the Moderator, three presentations themed of "The Role of Young People as Successors of the Will of the Hibakusha" were given by Ms. Rico Suenaga of the Youth Peace Volunteers, Ms. Suzuka Nakamura representing KNOW NUKES TOKYO and Vice-Mayor Alexandre Varela of Evora, Portugal.

Session IV: The 10^th Mayors for Peace Japanese Member Cities Meeting

　President Matsui chaired the Conference and Mayor Hide-yasu Kiyomoto of Himeji, host city of the next Japanese Member Cities Meeting gave the Opening Remark.
　The Conference deliberated over agenda items such as "Letter of Request to the Japanese Government Calling for the Promotion of Actions to Abolish Nuclear Weapons" and adopted them as originally proposed.

Closing Ceremony

　President Matsui read out the draft text of the Hiroshima Appeal commemorating the 40^th Anniversary of the Establishment of Mayors for Peace that declares Mayors for Peace will work even harder to promote the deep-rooted culture of peace in civil society and appeals to the UN and all national governments to take six actions to reduce the risk of the use of nuclear weapons. The Conference deliberated over the Appeal and adopted it as originally proposed.
　In his closing remarks, Vice President Taue mentioned that the 11^th General Conference will be held in Nagasaki in 2025. He expressed his hopes for the Mayors for Peace network to together make steady steps toward our goal of realizing a peaceful, nuclear-weapon-free world while sharing the principle of the PX Vision, and to make the next General Conference, in three years from now, a great opportunity to give good reports.
　The Hiroshima Appeal was sent to the UN Secretary-General and missions of national governments to the UN in early November 2022.
　Please see the Mayors for Peace website for details.

(URL) https://www.mayorsforpeace.org/en/news/2022/post-221102-2/