Report of the NGO Committee for Disarmament's
demonstration, meetings with the Ambassadors of British and French missions, progress on
Mayors of Peace Initiative
Geneva 5 August 2004
by Vijay Mehta
vijay@anglo-sphere.com
The Hiroshima Commemoration was held at the
Place des Nations (at the landmines chair).
The day started with the gathering of peace campaigners and activists from many countries.
There was a mixture of demo, speeches, songs and display of banners for Nuclear
Disarmament with special reference to the atrocities inflicted by the dropping of the
atomic bombs on
There was a lot of media and press coverage including interviews with the main speakers. I
gave one interview to Simon Pettite journalist of Le Courrier. I told him about the latest developments in the Mutual
Defense Agreement (MDA) between
We were delayed so much at the Hiroshima Commemoration that when
we reached the Conference on Disarmament, the public session was over. We were told that
the Japanese Ambassador had presented a paper which advocated the implementation of
articles in the NPT and a strict verification regime controlling the (future) Fissile
Material Cut off Treaty (FMCT).
Japan and Morocco delivered statements to the Conference on Disarmament a gist of which is
as follows:
Japan's Ambassador Yoshiki Mine welcomed the statement
made by the United States last week concerning its policy review of the Fissile Material
Cut Off Treaty (FMCT), "a new window of opportunity for the CD" which Japan
"hope(s)...will lead to the commencement of negotiations" on the long awaited
treaty. While the
effectively verifiable...thereby ensuring credibility of the treaty."
likely basis for future negotiations. Last week the
Meetings with the
Ambassadors of British and French missions
After lunch Colin Archer and myself went to the British missions
office of the
The Ambassador said that he was retiring and not going to another job. His replacement
will be John Freeman who is coming from NATO Headquarters. Colin commended him on
Campaign Report: November 2003 - July 2004
Campaign Launch, Nagasaki, DATE
November 2003:
In a speech by Nagasaki Mayor Iccho Itoh
before over two thousand participants in the Second Citizen's Assembly for the Elimination
of Nuclear Weapons, the Campaign was given a rousing launch. Messages came from many
international supporters, most notably London Mayor Ken Livingstone, as well as from
Hiroshima Mayor Tadatoshi Akiba.
Euro-Parliament Endorsement,
Brussels, 26 February 2004:
A resolution by the European Parliament on the European Union's role in the NPT review
process expressed "its support for the international Mayors' campaign - initiated by
the Mayors of
Mayoral Delegation to the NPT,
In the first major milestone of the Emergency Campaign, Mayors for Peace formed a Mayoral
Delegation to bring the 2020 Vision Campaign to the awareness of the government officials
engaged in the NPT review process. Nine mayors and seven deputy mayors from eleven
countries, as well as representatives from five additional
U.S. Conference of Mayors
Resolution, Boston, 27 June 2004:
Three U.S. members of Mayors for Peace submitted a resolution to the U.S. Conference of
Mayors' annual meeting. The resolution, citing the 2020 Vision, "calls upon the U.S.
President to support a decision by the 2005 NPT Review Conference to commence negations on
the prohibition and elimination of nuclear weapons." It was adopted by acclamation.
"2020Vision Campaign; Mayors
for Peace" video completed, New York, 9 July 2004
The work of the Mayoral Delegation has documented by Haloco
Ideas in a broadcast-quality 45-minute video program. A two-minute preview is on the
Mayors for Peace website, and there is a five-minute "coming attraction" for
busy mayors to view. The video follows the Mayoral Delegation through its two days of work
at the United Nations, New York City Hall, and the 9/11 ground zero. Three 'tangents' are
devoted to Hibakusha, Youth, and the World Peace Fair. The
hopeful 2020 Vision is contrasted with the melted lens of glasses from a
elderly victim of the
Campaign Plans: August 2004 - May 2005
See the attached one-page sheets for more detailed descriptions of each major activity.
Year of Remembrance and Action for
a Nuclear Weapon Free World; Aug'04- Aug'05
In anticipation of the 60th Anniversary, people everywhere are
being asked to engage in activity that remembers
Mayors for Peace believe Heads of Government should assume direct responsibility for the
all-important NPT Review Conference. A statement to that end, based on the U.S. Conference
of Mayors resolution, is being circulated for signature by mayors in countries around the
world. Mayors can sign it and promote it with their counterparts in other cities. The
signature drive will be wound up in early January so that the international results will
available for use by the National Mayoral Delegations.
National Mayoral Delegations
Consult with Governments, January-February'05
It must be brought to the attention of Heads of Government that
mayors are calling on them to act at the NPT Review Conference. In many countries, a
National Mayoral Delegation will be formed to present the Mayoral Statement signed by
their fellow mayors. The Delegation will be able to refer to the international results of
the drive as well. Since the Government will still be preparing for the Review Conference,
these consultations can help to shape its policy there. To that end, the Delegation will
also visit the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and of Defense and Parliament.
Cities of the World Peace Fair,
Central Park, New York, 1 May 2005
The Great Lawn of Central Park will be turned in a huge map of the world upon which
hundreds of cities, large and small, will display their culture of music, dance, art,
cuisine, and Peace. Mayors for Peace will link up participating cities with neighborhoods
throughout Greater New York to make it both a truly international and a truly
Major Presence of Mayors at the
NPT Review Conference, UN Headquarters, 2-4 May'05
Having called upon Heads of Government to attend the Review
Conference, Mayors will be out in force to hear them speak at the open session. The Mayors
will hold a conference of their own the following day; during the lunch, diplomats will be
invited to join them. On the third day, Mayors of some of the world's largest cities will
address a plenary session of the Review Conference. Mayors should plan on arriving in
Along side Mayors of peace there are other initiatives which deserve mentioning
A) Hiroshima-Nagasaki process for Nuclear Disarmament on the model of
B) German students initiative of Protective
wall of international law. The idea is to make small walls of bricks with logos and
take them to
This letter is being sent to mayors for encouraging them to participate in the
Review Conference 2005 (Available on request)
The Honorable Jeremy Harris Mayor of Honolulu, Hawaii
The Honorable Michael Sullivan Mayor of Cambridge, Massachusetts
SUPPORT FOR THE COMMENCEMENT OF NEGOTIATIONS ON THE ELIMINATION OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS
1. WHEREAS, as long as nuclear weapons exist, cities around the world will be vulnerable
to instantaneous devastation on a scale exceeding even that experienced by Hiroshima and
Nagasaki in 1945; and
2. WHEREAS, a nuclear war would devastate many cities, an accidental missile launch would
devastate several cities, and use of a nuclear weapon by terrorists would devastate a
city; and
3. WHEREAS, any nuclear attack would obliterate City Hall and all emergency response
mechanisms rendering any city "planning" for such a disaster utterly futile; and
4. WHEREAS, the world's foremost line of defense against nuclear-dangers is the Nuclear
Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) which is currently in its seventh review cycle, with all
parties to the treaty scheduled to meet next May to ensure that the treaty is being fully
implemented; and
5. WHEREAS, all other weapons of mass destruction have beenprohibited
by international agreement and are being eliminated under international control, and the
nuclear-weapon states party to the NPT have undertaken to pursue negotiations in good
faith on nuclear disarmament; and
6. WHEREAS, the international Court of Justice unanimously found in 1996 that all states
were obliged to "bring to a conclusion negotiations leading to nuclear disarmament in
all its aspects under strict and effective international control;" and
7. WHEREAS, the World Conference of Mayors for Peace has launched an international
campaign calling on the 2005 NPT Review Conference to launch negotiations on the
elimination of nuclear weapons, to be concluded by 2010 and fully implemented by 2020,
also known as the 2020 Vision; and
8. WHEREAS, weapons of mass destruction have no place in a civilized world,
9. Now, therefore, be it resolved that the U.S. Conference of Mayors calls upon the U.S.
President to support a decision by the 2005 npt Review
Conference to commence negotiations on the prohibition and elimination of nuclear weapons
and nuclear-weapon-related materials, and
10. BE IT further resolved the U.S. Conference of Mayors shall remain engaged in this
matter until our cities are no longer under the threat of nuclear devastation.
All statements of Conference on Disarmament are available at:
http://www.reachingcriticalwill.org/political/cd/speeches04/index.html.
All CD Advisories, including this one, are available at:
http://www.reachingcriticalwill.org/political/cd/speeches04/advisories.html
Press releases from UNOG can also be found at:
http://www.reachingcriticalwill.org/political/cd/press04/pressindex.html
A summary of statements by topic can be found at:
http://www.reachingcriticalwill.org/political/cd/speeches04/topic.html
Reaching Critical Will's Guide to the CD can be found at:
http://www.reachingcriticalwill.org/political/cd/cdbook.pdf
Other background information on the Conference can be found at:
http://www.reachingcriticalwill.org/political/cd/basicinfo/basicinfoindex.html