Bern (Switzerland), October 16th 2011 - Mayor Guy Morin of Basel, Switzerland, a Leading Mayor of the 2020 Vision Campaign gave a keynote speech at a conference organized by Parliamentarians for Nuclear nonproliferation and Disarmament (PNND). Campaign Director, Aaron Tovish, attend the PNND Annual Assembly to discussion future cooperation in the context of the 2020 Vision Campaign. The meetings took place in Bern, Switzerland, in conjunction with the International Parliamentary Union’s annual conference. Like Mayors for Peace and United Cities and Local Governments, thanks to PNND the IPU has endorsed the UN Secretary-General’s Five Point Plan, including negotiations of a nuclear weapons convention.
The speech of Mayor Morin made a strong impression. Building on his experience as a medical general practitioner, Dr. Morin provided the MPs and NGA representatives an introduction to the global consequences of using nuclear weapons to incinerate cities. He concluded by pointing out that when we say, “Cities are not targets!” we are not just expressing concern and alarm over the threat to our citizens, but to citizens worldwide, some one billion of whom would starve to death in the decade following the incineration of a dozen metropolises. You can read his speech here.
Aaron Tovish followed up on Mayor Morin’s suggestion that Mayors for Peace could assist PNND reach its target of 2012 MPs by the end of 2012. Mayors are in close contact with the MP(s) who represent(s) their cities. It will, of course, help the 2020 Vision Campaign if MPs are made more fully aware of it. And it will be good practice for our mayors to open up a dialog with those in the national government who they know well, before tackling the task of lobbying the foreign ministry, or example.
Mayor Morin also solicited the assistance of PNND in getting the 2020 Vision Campaign poster exhibition displayed in Parliaments. And pledge to invite MPs to the openings exhibitions in City Halls.
Mr. Tovish concluded his intervention in the Assembly by describing the connection between Mayors and MPS serving as a ‘lighting rod’ between the citizen grassroots and national leadership.
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