Hiroshima, October 1st 2010 - Mayors for Peace announced today that 4,207 member cities in 144 countries and regions have joined the campaign to eliminate nuclear weapons by 2020. Mayors for Peace is a network of local governments head-quartered in the City of Hiroshima. Dr. Tadatoshi Akiba, the Mayor of Hiroshima and President of Mayors for Peace, spearheads an unprecedented campaign calling on governments for the immediate commencement of negotiations for the establishment of a nuclear weapon free world by 2020.
The past year the network welcomed 1,060 new members and established membership in 10 new countries. Last month 63 new members were welcomed: Australia (1), Belgium (3), Bosnia and Herzegovina (1), Cameroon (1), Canada (2), France (2), Germany (1), Ghana (1), Greece (1), Italy (21), Japan (8), Philippines (3), Russia (3), Scotland (1) and the USA (1).
The three Russian Mayors signed up during a visit by Mayor Akiba to Moscow and Volgograd in early September. During this visit the 'All-Russia Council of Local Governments' agreed to invite Russian mayors to join Mayors for Peace. Mayors for Peace is exploring the possibility of co-operation for nuclear disarmament between Russian and US Mayors. The US Conference of Mayors, representing over 1,200 US largest cities, has repeatedly adopted resolutions in support of a world free of nuclear weapons by 2020. Russia and the US account for the vast majority of the world's nuclear arsenals, with about 10,000 nuclear warheads each.
Italy moves into second place
At 804 members now, Japan remains the country with by far the largest membership. A recent surge in membership has moved Italy (370) into second place just ahead of Germany (368). This comes as a result of a membership recruitment letter by the Mayor of Rome, Mr. Giovanni Alemanno, to the members of ANCI (Associazione Nazionale Comuni Italiani). Mayor Alemanno is Vice-President of ANCI, the Italian Association of Italian Municipalities. .
Mayors for Peace is also stepping up its co-operation with NGO's. In 2010 the organisation nominated fifteen '2020 Vision Campaigners', a title for civil society activists who have proven to be effective in working with local governments. On February 18th 2010 Mr. Amadou Coly Gomis from Senegal was the first campaigner to be appointed. With his support membership increased from 3 to 29 members. Last month 13 new mayors signed on in Senegal.
Member cities: http://www.mayorsforpeace.org/english/membercity/map.html
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