Mexico City, September 13th 2011 – The past couple of days new developments were discussed to establish Mayor for Peace in Mexico. Meetings involving the international relations department of the City of Mexico, AALMAC (Association of Local Authorities of Mexico), OPANAL, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Mexican ICLEI branch office.
During the meetings it was recognized that Mexico City the first Executive City of Mayors for Peace in Latin America, is challenged to promote the 2020 Vision Campaign as the nuclear threat is perceived very distant in the Global South. This while Mexico and the Global South in general, encounters many other security challenges such as poverty, the proliferation of small arms and narco traffic.
A first important meeting on Monday morning at Mexico City Hall involved the International Relations Department in charge of Mayor for Peace; AALMAC; the Mayors for Peace volunteers in Mexico City and the International Development Director of Mayors for Peace. Special attention was given to establish Mayors for Peace in Mexico, taking into account the local security issues while finding the best ways to inform and promote the objectives to free the world of the remaining 22,000 nuclear weapons by 2020. The participants welcomed the proposal to study the viability to create a Peace Department at Mexico City Hall.
Confronted with the perceived distant threat of nuclear weapons the participants discussed the importance to include the Mexican security issues in the work of Mayors for Peace. Mexico City and AALMAC welcome and support the initiative for a survey starting next week to receive the input from the stakeholders in the region. The objective of the survey, which will be mailed to the nearly 500 members in Latin America and the Caribbean, is to obtain input regarding the future activities by Mayors for Peace in the region. The results of the survey will be presented by Mexico City at the Executive Conference of Mayors for Peace, planned for November 8 – 10, 2011, in Granollers, Spain. In its 29 year history it will be the first time that a Latin American City will be present at an Executive meeting of Mayors for Peace. In this context all the participants of the meeting on Monday agreed that creating a Mexican branch office Latin America's first Executive Member City, should be an organisational priority.
The meeting was attended by Ms. Tatiana Alcazar, Director of the Asia and Africa International Relations Department of Mexico City Hall and her two team members Mr. Rodrigo Gutierrez Rico and Mr. Eric Rish. AALMAC was represented by Mr. Ricardo Baptista Gonzalez, the Executive Director and his assistants Jose Luis Gutierrez, previous Mayor of Ecatepec, and Ms. Aurelia Hernandez. Mr. Jorge Nunez, Mexico's 2020 Vision Campaigner and Abigail Cruz, the Communications Assistant for Latin America and Pol Heanna DHuyvetter, Executive Advisor and International Development Director for Mayors for Peace participated for the Mayors for Peace 2020 Vision Campaign.
In the context to establish Mayors for Peace in Mexico there was also a meeting with the ICLEI branch office in Mexico City today. ICLEI is the largest network of local governments committed to sustainable development with over 1,100 members in 68 countries that are serviced by 15 offices and 250 staff members. In contrast Mayors for Peace is the largest network of local governments committed to protect cities from the scourge of war and mass destruction with 5,000 members in 151 countries serviced by only two offices and 12 staff members. During the meeting at ICLEI Mr. Edgar Villasenor Franco, the Executive Director of ICLEI Mexico, and Ms. Itzel Alcerreca Corte, Subdirector for ICLEI, gave a briefing how they had been successful to establish a Mexican branch office in 2007 which now counts 16 staff members.
There was also a meeting at the headquarters of OPANAL, where Ambassador Gioconda Ubeda, Secretary General of OPANAL, reiterated the important role of OPANAL to promote Nuclear Weapon Free Zones to advance a world free of nuclear weapons. Ambassador Ubeda welcomed the plans to establish Mayors for Peace in Mexico and invited Mayors for Peace to participate in an upcoming Seminar marking the 45th anniversary of the Treaty of Tlatalolco in February 2012. Also the initiative by Mr. Taue, Mayor of Nagasaki, who recently met the Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs was welcomed by OPANAL. The Mayor of Nagasaki asks Foreign Minister Takeaki Matsumoto an active role of Japan to establish a Nuclear Weapon Free Zone in North East Asia. The Nagasaki demarche was supported by 102 Japanese Mayors, incl. Hiroshima.
Finally there was also an exploring meeting at the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs with Mr. Arturo Hernandez Basave, Director General for the UN, and Mr. Rodrigo Lopez, in charge of nuclear proliferation and disarmament. Mr. Arturo Hernandez welcomed the work of Mayors for Peace in Mexico and future cooperation will be discussed.
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