First 2020 Vision Campaign "Annual Report" published

July 25, 2008

Message from the Members of the General Meeting of Mayors for Peace 2020 Vision Campaign

Dear colleague,
Dear Mayor for Peace,
Dear supporters,

Please find here the first Annual Report for the Mayors for Peace 2020 Vision Campaign. This report will show you that we are well underway in the Preparation for the Decisive Decade for a Ban of all Nuclear Weapons by 2020.

Last year, has been a very important year with many changes for Mayors for Peace. Not only have we seen an important growth of our membership for our 25th anniversary year but also a major transformation as the Executive Conference agreed to set up a new international campaign association to set the structural conditions for achieving our main goal.

We have been impressed by hundreds of individuals in city halls and organizations who have saved no efforts in 2007 to develop the Emergency campaign of Mayors for Peace in all parts of the world. In this report, you will find some very encouraging and inspiring reports. We are sorry if it could not cover all the positive developments and project which took place in all continents.

Last year, we have also witnessed a timid start of fund-raising with a successful Belgian pilot project which proved that the solidarity of cities is genuine and not just a word enshrined in our founding declaration. We wish to thank our Belgian friends for their path-breaking efforts which will be the example and encouragement for all of us.

In 2008, we are committed to see our entire membership of now well over 2,000 cities match the annual contributions of the 2 Cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki who have footed the bill for the past 25 years. We all agree that it would be a big disappointment if over 2,000 cities would not be able to match the contributions of the 2 Japanese cities which witnessed the destruction of their cities by US nuclear bombs.

Here, we wish call everyone who reads these lines to do everything in his/her capacity to encourage city councils to approve a the resolution to start making voluntary financial contributions towards our emergency campaign. We all know that we urgently need funds to make our campaign successful.

We also wish to call on your support to bring Mayors for Peace to the people. Today, unfortunately most people never heard about us and our important campaign. We can make a difference by opening the existing communications channels of the cities to our commitment to ban these illegal weapons of terror from the face of the world.

Finally, we wish to remember the loss of an important friend and ally who saved no time and money to help us forward. Last year, the Mayor of Nagasaki, Mr. Iccho Itoh was brutally assassinated. Let's honor and remember him by making sure that his dream for a nuclear free world will not remain a dream. Let's work together and put non-proliferation and nuclear disarmament  again on top of the political agenda. Together we can do this.

President           

Dr. Tadatoshi Akiba, Mayor of Hiroshima (Japan)

Vice Presidents

Mr. Tomihisa Taue, Mayor of Nagasaki (Japan)
Mr. Stephan Weil, Mayor of Hannover (Germany)
Ms. Catherine Margate, Mayor of Malakoff (France)
Mr. Glyn Evens, Mayor of Manchester (U.K.)
Mr. Donald L. Plusquellic, Mayor of Akron (U.S.)
Mr. Leonardo Domenici, Mayor of Florence (Italy)
Mr. Patrik Vankrunkelsven, Senator (Belgium)

Executive Official

Mr. Luc Dehaene, Mayor of Ypres (Belgium) and Chair Board 2020 Vision Campaign