On Wednesday October 13th FLACMA (Federación Latinamericana de Ciudades, Municipios y Asociaciones de gobiernos locales) signed an agreement with Mayors for Peace in support of the campaign to eliminate all nuclear weapons by 2020. FLACMA is the Latin American branch of the UCLG, the world wide organisation of local governements.
Mr. Julio Pereyra, President of FLACMA and FAM, with Mayor Akiba during the signing ceremony in Buenos Aires, Argentina (Credit FAM)
Mr. Julio Pereyra, President of FLACMA and FAM, with Mayor Akiba during the signing ceremony in Buenos Aires, Argentina (Credit FAM)
This historic agreement was signed between Dr. Tadatoshi Akiba, Mayor of Hiroshima and President of Mayors for Peace and FLACMA's President Mr. Julio Pereyra and the Executive Secretary Mr. Guillermo Tapia. In the agreement they affirm their determination to work together to free cities from the scourge of war and mass destruction.

In this first cooperative endeavour they call the Third World Congress of United Cities and Local Governments to call on national governments to commence with utmost urgency negotiations for a nuclear weapons convention or a framework agreement leading to establishment of a nuclear-weapon-free world by 2020, as proposed by Mayors for Peace and endorsed by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

Mayors for Peace also signed an agreement with FAM, the Federación Argentina de Municipios, the first ever agreement between Mayors for Peace and a national association of local governments. In this initial agreement with Mayors for Peace, FAM openly declares its support for the Mayors for Peace 2020 Vision Campaign to eliminate all nuclear weapons by the year 2020; and calls upon all Mayors from Argentina to formally join Mayors for Peace and as concrete manifestation of said support, FAM will encourage local governments from Argentina to make symbolic financial contributions to the global campaign in solidarity with the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

The enthusiasm of Latin American Mayors in support of Mayors for Peace was also measured with Mayor Akiba being handed 45 registration forms during his visit to Buenos Aires and Mar del Plata. The Hiroshima Mayor had the opportunity to personally welcome new members from Argentina (23), Chile (1), Colombia (5), Dominican Republic (3), Honduras (1), Puerto Rico (11) and Mexico (1). They will be officially welcomed as new members on November 1st, with the next monthly membership update.

FLACMA and Mayors for Peace intend to establish a close, long-lasting relationship which will be further developed during a meeting of FLACMA just prior to the 3rd World Congress of the UCLG in Mexico City November 16 – 21, 2010.

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