Children's "Peaceful Towns" Spread Out Across UN Headquarters
Since 2018, Mayors for Peace has been holding a Children's Art Competition "Peaceful Towns" to provide opportunities for young people to think about the importance of peace and to foster their peace-seeking spirit.
To amplify the program, and to mark the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombings, we held an exhibition of the children's paintings at United Nations Headquarters from January 12 to February 20, 2026.
The exhibition featured 16 award-winning works from previous years, displayed alongside messages from the artists.
The exhibited works portray "peaceful towns" as envisioned by children.
One depicted a girl sleeping with a stuffed animal against the backdrop of a city under the night sky.
Another featured a colorful urban scene of people joining hands around the world.
A third presented a view of a blue sea and a green island. The paintings conveyed the young artists' longing for lives lived in safety and communities united across diverse backgrounds.
One piece was accompanied by the message: "War comes from ignorance. The only way to stop war is to gain knowledge, understand the impact war has on people, and create more humane and peaceful solutions to our problems."
Izumi Nakamitsu, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, and Kazuyuki Yamazaki, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Japan to the United Nations, toured the exhibition and said, "The messages of peace conveyed through the children's paintings moved us deeply."
Throughout the exhibition period, many visitors stopped in front of each piece to gaze at it intently. Visitors made comments such as "Every piece is colorful and uplifting," and "I want to show these to my own children." The global stage of the United Nations carried the children's sincere wishes into the hearts of visitors from around the world.
For the 2025 art competition, 8,079 entries were submitted by children from 153 Mayors for Peace member cities in 19 countries; 52 of these were selected as prize-winning entries. (Selected prize-winning entries are featured on the cover.)
Part of the exhibit
A third presented a view of a blue sea and a green island. The paintings conveyed the young artists' longing for lives lived in safety and communities united across diverse backgrounds.
One piece was accompanied by the message: "War comes from ignorance. The only way to stop war is to gain knowledge, understand the impact war has on people, and create more humane and peaceful solutions to our problems."
On the tour
Throughout the exhibition period, many visitors stopped in front of each piece to gaze at it intently. Visitors made comments such as "Every piece is colorful and uplifting," and "I want to show these to my own children." The global stage of the United Nations carried the children's sincere wishes into the hearts of visitors from around the world.
For the 2025 art competition, 8,079 entries were submitted by children from 153 Mayors for Peace member cities in 19 countries; 52 of these were selected as prize-winning entries. (Selected prize-winning entries are featured on the cover.)
(Mayors for Peace and International Policy Division)