Mayors for Peace announced today that 140 new member cities have joined during the month of March 2011. This is the largest monthly growth ever recorded since the association was founded in 1982.
Today Mayors for Peace counts 4,680 local governments in its growing network present in 150 countries and regions. The network, Presided by Hiroshima Mayor Dr. Tadatoshi Akiba, campaigns for the total elimination of nuclear weapons by 2020. The enormous growth of the network is explained by hundreds of population centres being targets and threatened with nuclear annihilation.
The largest growth was recorded last month in Japan (56), Senegal (34), Russia (16), Ghana (13) and Austria (10). New members were also welcomed from Bulgaria (2), Brazil, Cambodia, Latvia, Philippines, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, UK and USA (1 each).
Membership in Russia continues to grow as a result of a new outreach effort by the Mayors for Peace Vice-President City of Volgograd. With 16 new members joining last month there are now a total of 54 Russian local governments in the network. With a total of 35 new members for 2011, Russia has doubled membership during the first months of 2011 as another 19 Russian Mayors had already signed up. This is a significant development as Russia, together with the USA, retains thousands of nuclear weapons. Volgograd has clearly stepped up its outreach efforts. The city, formerly known as Stalingrad, was one of the initial members (1983) of Mayors for Peace.
The important growth in Japan is a result of a new invitation send last month to all non-member Japanese cities the City of Hiroshima. Japan now counts 962 members, by far the highest number in the world.
The growth in Senegal is the result of the outreach efforts by Mr. Amadou Gomes, the Mayors for Peace 2020 Vision Campaigner in Senegal. Mr. Gomes launched a new successful recruitment effort coinciding with the World Social Forum and the Forum of Local Authorities in Dakar. Senegal now counts 65 members, the highest number in Africa after Cameroon (68).
Ghana's membership growth is the work of Mr. Kafui Attipoe, the new 2020 Vision Campaigner in Ghana. Mr. Attipoe has secured the support of governors in reaching out to mayors and has worked closely with the national association of local governments. As a result mayors are now in dialogue with the Foreign Ministry about Ghana's ratification of the African Nuclear Weapon Free Zone Treaty.
The growth in Austria is primarily the work of Ms. Andrea Feuerstein, president of the local Soroptimists group. She was approached by the Austrian 2020 Vision Campaigner Mr. Heidrun Konrad. Ms. Feuerstein contacted Mayors in her region and was met with a very positive response. Plans are in the works for a high-prolife Mayors for Peace presence at the national meeting for Austrian cities in June. Austria now counts 60 members. The Austrian Parliament recently adopted a resolution urging the national government to press for commencement of negotiations for a Nuclear Weapons Convention. Austria is the only European country with an anti-nuclear constitution.
List of the 140 new members
List of all member cities
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