In Message to Hiroshima-Nagasaki Appeal, Secretary-General Tells World Leaders to End Political Posturing, Create Nuclear-Weapon-Free World

Following is UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s message to the 2015 Hiroshima-Nagasaki Appeal Assembly, in New York today:

I send my warmest greetings to all participants at the 2015 Hibakusha Appeal Assembly.  I am especially grateful to the Hibakusha who have travelled so far from home to amplify our urgent call for a world free of nuclear weapons.  Inspired by these courageous individuals, I am calling on the NPT Review Conference [High-Level Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons] to heed their warnings and deliver results.

You have my full support and the backing of the entire United Nations in spreading your message: “No more Hiroshima, No more Nagasaki”.  I stand in proud solidarity with your principled, ceaseless appeal for a world free of nuclear weapons.  Your strength and perseverance in pursuing nuclear disarmament has taught me the true meaning of resilience and has moved countless people around the world to action.

We are at now a crossroads in our journey towards the abolition of nuclear weapons.  The deteriorating global security environment has stalled progress in disarmament.  I am deeply concerned about the modernization of nuclear weapons and the development of new types of such weapons.  Denouncing this trend in the name of our common humanity, I am urging leaders to abandon shallow political posturing and instead act to answer people’s yearnings for a nuclear-weapon-free world.

In this effort, I am heartened by the growing movement to recognize the grave humanitarian consequences of nuclear weapons and to seek their elimination.  I applaud all members of civil society, especially the Hibakusha, for pushing this critical issue up on the international agenda.

Success at the NPT Review Conference this year is paramount.  Unless the States parties remain united and use this Conference to reinforce the global nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation regime, there may be ominous ramifications for international peace and security.  I have urged all States parties to bridge their differences and agree on measures to accelerate the implementation of the Action Plan adopted at the 2010 Review Conference and create a truly positive dynamic for the global security environment.

My appeal is bolstered by the powerful message that the Hibakusha have brought to the Conference.  Their presence is a source of inspiration for us all.  I sincerely hope that their passionate appeal will pierce the conscience of delegates and open the way to success.

As the average age of the Hibakusha approaches 80, I feel a greater sense of urgency to spread their message.  The best tribute we can pay to them, and to all those who perished in the devastation of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, is to rid the world of nuclear weapons.  As we learn from the older generations, we are empowering youth to become a greater force for progress on disarmament and peace.

Let us remember the Hibakusha’s message, “No one else should ever suffer as we did,” and redouble our efforts to realize the vision of a nuclear-weapon-free world.