Citizens’ Declaration on Peace 2023
6 August 2023
Citizens’ Summit 2023
C7 (Civil)
This "Citizens Declaration on Peace 2023" is addressed by civil society organizations in andbeyond Japan to appeal to world leaders and citizens to reconsider peace in light of the experienceof the G7 Hiroshima Summit, and to realize it together.
We call on the G7 and other world leaders to make decisions and take action to ABOLISH nuclear
weapons.
This year, the G7 Hiroshima Summit was held in Japan. In solidarity with a national andinternational civil society, we organized the Citizen’s Summit 2023 in Hiroshima in April. To tackle
various social issues, including nuclear disarmament, climate change, conflict, inequality, gender,people with disabilities, childcare, youth, SDGs, public procurement, history of Hiroshima, disasterprevention, and the direction of the G7, we held discussions among citizens from various
backgrounds. In addition, at the C7 (Civil7), one of the official engagement groups of the G7
process, we established six working groups with over 700 civil society representatives from 72
countries, including on nuclear disarmament, to engage in dialogue and to make policy
recommendations to the G7.
However, the G7 Leaders' Hiroshima Vision on Nuclear Disarmament issued by the G7 leaders
was not what we - the citizens and Hibakusha, atomic bomb survivors, - expected, and we have toexpress our great disappointment and dismay. It might be premature to evaluate the G7 Hiroshima
Summit at this point. It should also be noted that the variety of opinions on the evaluation of theSummit could be seen as a reflection of the civil society’s diversity, which we value. However, it
was clear from the G7 Hiroshima Summit that the G7 leaders do not aim at the abolition of nuclear
weapons, and they discussed the arms transfer rather than a ceasefire between Ukraine andRussia. In addition, seven organisations of Hiroshima Hibakusha have expressed regret that thebag containing the device that commands a nuclear attack, the "nuclear button", was unabashedly
brought into Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, saying that this is a desecration and insult to the Abombed city that tramples on the memorials of the A-bomb victims and their wish for nuclearweapons abolition.
It must be said that citizens are excluded from the democratic process and the will of the A-bomb
survivors is neglected. Furthermore, in June, a sister park agreement between Hiroshima Peace
Memorial Park and Pearl Harbor National Memorial was signed solely and hastily by theadministrative decision, and many citizens do not understand this process and information. This isa crisis for the peace administration as the A-bombed city of Hiroshima.
As a result of these, the process of nuclear weapons abolition has regressed, and as citizens who
have long appealed for the early abolition of nuclear weapons, we cannot accept the current
situation. We continue to call on the Japanese Government and the nuclear-armed states to create
a vision from nuclear disarmament to nuclear abolition and to sign and ratify the Prohibition ofNuclear Weapons (TPNW). And civil society will continue to be willing to engage in dialogue andpolicy cooperation with governments in order to realize a “sustainable society without nuclear weaponsand leaving no one behind.”Here, we would like to think and act together with all citizens of the world. Let us look at peace not
only in the distance but also around us, redefine the peace we want, and act to achieve it.
While we hope for the abolition of nuclear weapons, nine states in the world possess nuclear
weapons and there are an estimated 12,705 warheads on the planet. And the reality is that many
countries including Japan are under the nuclear umbrella of the United States and others. Inaddition, nuclear weapons are not merely a security issue, but also complex and serious problems,as citizens are living with nuclear threats, such as being actually affected by nuclear testing or
nuclear power plant accidents all over the world.
Before the Leaders’ Summit, we, as C7, officially made the policy recommendations to the G7 on
nuclear disarmament, climate and environmental justice, economic justice and transformation,
global health, humanitarian assistance and conflict, and open and resilient society. Unfortunately,
nevertheless, the G7 Hiroshima Summit Declaration did not incorporate many of the perspectivesof civil society and was not something that citizens could appreciate. From a different perspective,
it was an opportunity to reflect on the fact that civil society is still immature and is not yet fully
equipped with the power and methods to improve our society. We have determined to improveand repeatedly build on this process. That is why the first step we propose is to redefine thecitizens' idea of 'peace' once again.
After 78 years since the atomic bombings, we wonder if the peace proclaimed by the Prime
Ministers and mayors at the Peace Memorial Ceremony in Hiroshima and Nagasaki truly
represents the voice of citizens. Let us think, speak out, and act together on what kind of peace
we, as citizens, hope for, and what are needed to realize it.
We hope that this message will reach the leaders of the G7 and other countries, as well as citizens
around the world, in order to create a sustainable society without nuclear weapons, where no one
is left behind, with our own hands.

References:
Citizens’ Summit 2023
https://hiroshimacsummit2023.mystrikingly.com/
Civil7 2023 JAPANhttps://civil7.org/
C7 Communiqué 2023
https://civil7.org/wpC7/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/C7_communique2023_0412.pdfG7 Hiroshima Leaders’ Communiqué
https://www.mofa.go.jp/files/100506878.pdf
G7 Leaders’ Hiroshima Vision on Nuclear Disarmament
https://www.mofa.go.jp/dns/ac_d/page1e_000679.html
Contact:
Hiroki Matsubara, Co-organizer, Citizens’ Summit 2023, matsubara@npoc.or.jp
Aoi Horiuchi, Steering Committee, Civil7, info@civil7.org