In front of a packed audience of government officials, NGO representatives and media, Mayors for Peace presented the petition, which calls on the leaders of all nation states to “free innocent children and global citizens from the threat of nuclear weapons” by starting immediate negotiations for a nuclear-weapon-free world.
Ambassador Sergio Duarte was Master of Ceremonies for the programme. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon spoke first, acknowledging the CANT petition as a stirring call to action from the citizens of the world, and expressing his commitment to international disarmament. “Together, we can rid the world of nuclear weapons and answer the call of these hibakusha, who survived a nuclear attack and dedicated themselves to making sure no one else would ever suffer the same fate,” he declared, going on to pay tribute to the leadership of Mayor Akiba, who was unable to attend the event due to recent unfortunate events in Japan.
After further speeches from Mayors for Peace representative, Jackie Cabasso, and UN Messenger of Peace, Michael Douglas, Douglas and Ban Ki-moon publicly added their names to the petition. The three hibakusha (atomic bomb survivors) in attendance had the chance to speak to the Secretary General and present him with a letter.
The CANT petition, along with a short animated film about Mayors for Peace, will form part of the UN’s permanent exhibit on nuclear disarmament.
Further coverage of the event:
UN News Centre “Million-signature petition to end nuclear weapons goes on display at UN Headquarters”
The Economic Times “Exhibition of over 1 million antinuke signatures starts at UN”
IPS “Public Momentum Builds Against Nukes”
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