53% of Belgian cities and municipalities spearhead membership & financial support 2020 Vision Campaign

May 6, 2008

Today 317 of a total of 589 Belgian Mayors have joined Mayors for Peace. With 53,82% of Belgian Mayors supporting the 2020 Vision Campaign Belgium has highest membership worldwide. The previous weeks we welcomed Saint-Léger, Virton, Liedekerke, Schaarbeek and Faimes as new members.

Furthermore already 65 Belgian Cities and Municipalities have committed financial support for the 2020 Vision Campaign. The Citiy Council of Amay, Hamois, Middelkerke, Waasmunster and Waregem were the latest Belgian councils to approve financial support (full list below). An appeal for financial support has been mailed recently to the entire membership in 127 countries.

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The cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki have been carrying the financial responsibility for Mayors for Peace since 1982, an estimated 250,000 euro/year. Today already 64 Belgian cities and municipalities made commitments to support the international 2020 Vision Campaign financially. Most Belgian cities and municipalities committed themselves to donate € 0,025 per inhabitant annually for the 2007 - 2010 period.

The report of this Belgian pilot-project was without doubt an important encouragement for the Executive Cities to approve an international fundraising campaign towards the entire membership. On November 22nd 2007 the Executive Cities agreed to raise 250.000 euro's in 2008 from the membership.

Thanks to leadership of Ypres' Mayor Luc Dehaene (Christian-Democrat) an increasing number of Belgian cities and municipalities are adopting resolutions where they commit themselves to contribute financially to the Mayors for Peace 2020 Vision Campaign. This pathbreaking support by Belgian mayors for the international campaign was appreciated by Mayor Tadatoshi Akiba in his Peace Declaration during the Hiroshima Day commemoration. Also the Executive Cities were impressed by this result during their meeting in Florence on November 22nd.

Mayor Akiba Tadatoshi declared: "The Belgian mayors are setting an important example as we will need more funds if we want to achieve a nuclear-weapon-free world by 2020".

"Every single minute of 2006 over 2 million US dollars went to military expenditures. With the Mayors for Peace, we wish to start reversing this global trend and invest in peace, a clean environment, and the eradication of poverty." declared Mayor Akiba.

To date the following cities and municipalities in Belgium committed financial support:

Affligem, Amay, Antwerpen, Beersel, Boechout, Bornem, Brasschaat, Brussels, Dendermonde, Durbuy, Eeklo, Forest (Vorst), Geetbets, Gent, Hamois, Hamont-Achel, Hasselt, Hechtel-Eksel, Heist-op-den-Berg, Herzele, Huy, Ichtegem, Ieper, Ingelmunster, Ittre, Kappelle-op-den-Bos, Kapellen, Kaprijke, Knokke-Heist, Kortrijk, Kuurne, Kruibeke, Lennik, Maarkedal, Maaseik, Machelen, Melle, Mesen, Middelkerke, Mortsel, Nazareth, Nijlen, Oostkamp, Ottignies-Louvain-la-Neuve, Peer, Ravels, Riemst, Rotselaar, Ruiselede, Saint-Leger, Schelle,  Sint-Lievens-Houtem, Sint-Truiden, Stabroek, Staden, Steenokkerzeel, Thuin, Voeren, Waasmunster, Waregem, Wetteren, Wortegem-Petegem, Zoersel, Zottegem and Zwijndrecht.

Small is beautiful

The Mayor of Geetbets, Mr. Benny Munten, demonstrated vision and commitment. The municipality of Geetbets (Flemish Brabant) decided to donate 0,025 euro/ inhabitant up to 2020. With 5,765 inhabitants this makes 144 euro/year x 14 years = 2020 euro.

Efforts are now under way in Germany, Italy, UK and USA. In 2008 Mayors for Peace wants to raise 250,000 euro's from the entire membership. For 2010 the target is set at half a million euro.

In a press statement, Dr.  Akiba declared: "There is no other country where as many mayors have shown such a strong determination to assist us in ridding the world of these weapons of mass destruction. The city of Hiroshima and its citizens are touched by the generosity of the Belgian cities and municipalities. Last year we received a space in the Ypres City Hall to host our new International Campaign Secretariat. This year a growing number of Belgian cities and municipalities started to contribute financially for the success of the 2020 Vision Campaign." 

On May 6th 2008 Belgium counted 317 members of Mayors for Peace on a total of 589 Mayors. Today 53,82% of Belgian Mayors have joined Mayors for Peace. This is the result of a strong co-operation of Mayors across political borders. From the outset in 2005 Belgian Mayors have choosen for a cross-party approach as nuclear disarmament can not be an issue for one political party.