Religious Leaders’ Recommendations for the G7 Summit—To Create Sustainable Peace in Line with the Spirit of Hiroshima—(Draft)Seventy-eight years ago, the single atomic bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima razed the city
to ashes and slaughtered countless innocent people. The cenotaph for A-bomb victims is
inscribed with the following words: “Let all the souls here rest in peace; for we shall not repeat
the evil.” These words convey the pledges of all people never to repeat the same mistake ofcommitting war, along with our prayers for the souls of the victims. Moreover, the words convey
the Spirit of Hiroshima, or the aspiration of the people of Hiroshima, who endured the sorrowfulincident in the past, have overcome their hatred, and wish for permanent world peace and coprosperity of all people around the world.
On May 10, 2023, together with hibakusha (A-bomb victims) and representatives of civilsocieties seeking to build permanent world peace, we, as religious leaders, assembled at theMemorial Cathedral of World Peace (the Assumption of Mary Cathedral), located 1.2 km fromthe hypocenter in Hiroshima. There, we held the Prayer and Symposium by Religious Leaders toannounce our recommendations for the G7 Hiroshima Summit.
To begin with, we truly hope that the world leaders participating in the G7 Summit, to be heldin Hiroshima, will deeply embrace the Spirit of Hiroshima in their hearts. Unless they do so, nomeetings shall be fruitful. With this in mind, we strongly demand that the leaders steadily workto embody the Spirit of Hiroshima in international political policies.
To this end, we suggest that they earnestly listen to the voices of the hibakusha, who arededicated to realizing the Spirit of Hiroshima. Even though their average age now surpasses 84
and they have been deeply injured both physically and mentally, they continue to demand nuclear
abolition based on their firm, humanitarian belief that there should be no more hibakusha andno more war.
At present, the international community is suffering from various kinds of violence, including
wars and armed conflicts, all of which cause serious problems. Underlying this situation isexcessive nationalism or the policy of putting one’s own country first, which breeds self-righteousand exclusive attitudes across the international community. In addition, excessive pursuit ofprofit has exacerbated economic disparity to the worst level in human history, causing the Global
South to remain entrenched in poverty. Moreover, the extravagant consumption of valuable
natural resources, which are essential for the very survival of humankind, and the accelerationof climate change pose a serious menace to the sustainability of the earth and humankind.
In this world situation, together with the world leaders participating in the G7 Summit, we,
as religious leaders, are determined to fulfill our responsibility to build a peaceful andsustainable global society. At the 10th World Assembly of Religions for Peace, held in 2019 in
Lindau, Germany, together with our religious leaders from around the world, we reaffirmed thefollowing belief: “As fundamentally relational, our well-being is intrinsically shared.” This belief
is shared by many religions of the world and has been passed down throughout their long
histories. The Quran, for example, says, “…whoever saves a life, it will be as if they saved all ofhumanity.” The New Testament commands, “So whatever you wish that others would do to you,do also to them…” In addition, the Dhammapada (a collection of sayings of the Buddha) states:“Hatred is never appeased by hatred in this world. By non-hatred alone is hatred appeased.”To ensure the sustainability of the earth and humankind, based on this belief, we hereby deliver
the recommendations stated below for the leaders participating in the G7 Summit.
Recommendation 1: Reversing the trend from division to reconciliation and from opposition todialogue
At present, the international community is involved in various kinds of oppositions and divisions
caused by wars and armed conflicts. As evidenced in the Russia-Ukraine War, mutual distrust
has been exacerbated by the division of people into friend and foe. Aggressive attitudes serve toincite conflicts and attacks on enemies, promoting violence and increasing the number of tragic
incidents. The member states of the G7 Summit must exert their leadership to reverse the trend
from division to reconciliation and from opposition to dialogue, and ultimately to the terminationof war.
Recommendation 2: Averting nuclear war and abolishing nuclear weapons
Amid the Russia-Ukraine war, there is a growing risk of the potential use of nuclear weapons.
The member states of the G7 Summit should strongly communicate the risk of the annihilationof all people and all ecosystems, and repeatedly deliver the message that the use of nuclear
weapons should never be tolerated in whatever case. As hibakusha from Hiroshima andNagasaki clearly state, the very presence of around 13,000 nuclear weapons in stockpiles aroundthe world poses a great menace. The member states of the G7 Summit should announce theirintention to abolish nuclear weapons as soon as possible and take concrete measures together
with legal actions to that end.
Recommendation 3: Fulfilling the responsibility for global sustainability
The United Nations warns that the average global temperature will rise 1.5 degrees Celsius
above pre-industrial levels by 2030 in the earliest scenario. The member states of the G7 Summit
must reinforce their present measures against climate change. The member states should
reaffirm their firm determination to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to virtually zero by themid-21st century in compliance with the Paris Agreement, and establish legal bases in individualstates to achieve carbon neutrality at earlier stages.
Recommendation 4: Fulfilling the responsibility to achieve the SDGs
This year marks the mid-point of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs.
Reportedly, the global levels of SDG achievement have been declining over the past few years
due mainly to the vulnerability of food security and the hike in energy prices caused by theCOVID-19 pandemic and the Ukraine war. The member states of the G7 Summit should wellremember that the achieving the SDGs is critical for human survival, and fulfill their
responsibility to achieve them. Japan, which currently serves as the G7 Summit chair, should
promptly improve its programs to eliminate gender- and nationality-based discrimination sincethe country is reported to lag behind in these areas.
Recommendation 5: Correcting extreme economic disparity
The wealth possessed by the 2,000 richest people is greater than the sum of the wealth of the 4.6billion poorest people. This extraordinary economic disparity is being widened by the COVID-19
pandemic and changes in industrial structures caused by rapid digitalization. While the richest
people become wealthier, the poorest people become poorer and poorer in a negative cycle ofeconomic disparity. To change this unconscionable situation from the viewpoint of human security,a concept of protecting the human dignity of each and every individual, the member states of theG7 Summit should fulfill their responsibility to fairly allocate profits from economic activities
and to reduce inequality in terms of income and asset value.
Recommendation 6: Protecting the freedom of religion
It is reported that in 2019, 79% of the world’s population lived in countries where the freedom ofreligion and faith was seriously infringed. This situation leads to the occurrence of violent
conflicts and religious discrimination. Freedom of religion is the basis of all fundamental humanrights and should be afforded the utmost priority. The member states of the G7 Summit should
pay close attention to the present trend of the international community, where the number ofauthoritarian states is increasing, as is the threat to freedom of religion. The member statesshould also take all possible measures to firmly protect the freedom of religion.
As religious leaders, we offer our sincerest prayers that the G7 Hiroshima Summit will provide
impetus to promoting the sustainability of the earth and humankind. At the same time, wehereby renew our pledge to make untiring efforts to fulfill our own responsibility toward
peacebuilding.
May 10, 2023
Religions for Peace (WCRP) Japan