Participating in events marking the UN’s International Day of Peace, Mayors, 2020 Vision Campaigners, and staff spread the good news that the Mayors for Peace network has surpassed the 5000-members mark.
Word was first released in Hiroshima by the President of Mayors for Peace, Mayor Kazumi Matsui, “"We hope that international moves to seek to eliminate nuclear weapons will gain further momentum. We will make efforts to draw more cities to speedily achieve a treaty to ban nuclear weapons."
Nagasaki co-founded Mayors for Peace with Hiroshima, its Mayor, Tomahisa Taue declared, "This network of the 5,000 mayors with a resolve to defend their citizens from nuclear weapons provides a strong driving force to create a nuclear-free world."
Vice President Mayor Stefan Weil of Hannover said, “Since the nuclear bombing of the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki 66 years ago, humanity has managed to only just avoid a nuclear inferno due more to luck than good sense. I am very glad indeed that there is such large support and more cities and mayors continue to join us.”
International Campaign Director Aaron Tovish announced the news at a Peace Festival in Vienna (see photo and for more click here.) Secretariat Manager Matthias Breyne brought the good news to Utrecht and the launch of the MasterPeace initiative there. North American Coordinator Jackie Cabasso issued a press release, saying “Since 2003, thousands of cities have been inspired to join Mayors for Peace in support of its ‘2020 Vision’ of a world free of nuclear weapon by the year 2020. The total number of citizens represented worldwide by Mayors for Peace is approaching one billion.” And Development Director Pol Heanna D’Huyvetter spread the news at Congreso de Seguridad Ciudadana Local in Buenos Aires.
“Brilliant work!” said Kate Dewes of New Zealand as congratulations flowed in from around the world. If you have a story on how you spread the 5000-word, please send us a link to it.
As said at the beginning of the membership drive; this will be the last international drive for the foreseeable future. But if you believe that a membership drive in your own country would help to advance the 2020 Vision there, the Campaign Secretariat stands ready to assist you. If membership growth can be sustained at a city a day, we should go well over the one-billion-citizens mark before May. This will further enhance our ‘clout’ when we meet with Preparatory Committee delegates in Vienna at their first meeting leading up to the 2015 NPT Review Conference.
Even at around 900,000,000, Mayors for Peace counts roughly three time more people than the United States and one third as many as India and China combined!
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