The Nagasaki Appeal
For the Abolition of Nuclear Weapons and Lasting World Peace

We, the representatives of 7,417 cities from 162 countries and regions around the world, havemet at the 9th General Conference of Mayors for Peace held in Nagasaki and engaged in
active discussions on the theme “Toward a World without Nuclear Weapons – What We Can
Do Toward 2020.”
In August 1945, atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The fierce heat rays,
blast and radiation instantly leveled buildings and turned the cities into burnt-out ruins,cruelly killing more than 210,000 residents, including women, children and the elderly. The

hibakusha, many of whom only narrowly survived, have witnessed many terrible situations
where people were deprived of human dignity. They have survived for 72 years with physicaland emotional wounds that can never be healed. While suffering from cancer and otherdiseases caused by radiation, the hibakusha have continued to appeal to the world for theabolition of these inhumane weapons, driven by their strong and almost life-shortening
determination that no one else should ever again suffer as they have.
Yet, there still remain nearly 15,000 nuclear weapons on our planet, and massive budgets
have been allocated to programs aimed at modernizing them. In addition, the threat ofnuclear weapon use is increasing in various parts of the world, such as Northeast Asia,Europe, South Asia and the Middle East. Furthermore, the unintended or accidental use ofnuclear weapons and the risk of nuclear terrorist attacks cannot be ignored.
Based on the 2020 Vision (Emergency Campaign to Ban Nuclear Weapons), Mayors for Peacehas been engaged in diverse activities in partnership with civil society, NGOs and others,
aimed at the urgently needed realization of a world without nuclear weapons. These activities
include signature-collecting for petitions that call for the early realization of a nuclear
weapons convention and appeals for its implementation at international conferences.
This summer, the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons was adopted. We sincerely
welcome the enactment of this treaty, the first international law that explicitly bans nuclear
weapons. This historic advancement toward nuclear disarmament won the approval of themajority of UN member states, and demonstrates to the international community that theslogan “Nagasaki must be the last atomic-bombed city,” as the hibakusha have continued topronounce at every opportunity, is a common desire that represents the will of all humankind.
Also, the member cities of Mayors for Peace have realized that, even though a desire for peace
expressed by one city may constitute a small voice, such voices together can be a driving force
in the world if we cooperate and never give up on our goals. We have also been convinced that1we are on the right path with our activities.
With this pride in our hearts, Mayors for Peace is determined to push forward the followingactions.
Aiming at the early implementation of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons,
Mayors for Peace will make efforts to make this treaty more effective by further
strengthening collaboration among the hibakusha, civil society and treaty-leading nations
that have served as a driving force in the adoption of the treaty, and all member cities willstrongly urge their national governments to adopt it. In particular, we will strongly urge thegovernments of nuclear-armed states and those under the nuclear umbrella to do so.
Mayors for Peace represents more than one billion residents of the member cities, and has
worked for the elimination of nuclear weapons and the promotion of peace. Yet beyond nuclear
weapons, regional challenges such as chemical weapons, armed conflicts, refugee crises,
famine, poverty, discrimination, violence, environmental destruction and, more recently,
terrorist attacks have emerged. To these ends, we support concrete actions to implement theUnited Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) including those pertaining peace,cities, and education. In addition, we will further increase the number of member cities andactively work on strengthening and deepening regional networks in order to promote
humanitarian activities, especially addressing regional challenges to ensure safety andwelfare in civil society.
Mayors for Peace will work towards creating a culture of peace in order to fundamentally
address the various problems standing in the way of peace. On that account, we recognize thesignificance of peace education to pass on war experiences, with a child and youth perspective,
to future generations. The member cities of Mayors for Peace are committed to design andpromote actions to advance peace education. By participating in the Mayors for Peace
network, cities can put into practice the culture of peace in implementing local policies.
Peace is a desire shared by all humankind. We must pursue peace based on human security,in which all individuals respect and trust each other as world citizens by overcoming thedivisions of nationality, race and religion, to consider safety as a common concern of all people.
This is the path to realizing a world without nuclear weapons. Mayors for Peace willconcentrate its efforts on pursuing this long and difficult path, with a strong determination toattain these goals, in close cooperation with all like-minded individuals, groups and nations.
Mayors for Peace strongly calls on the United Nations and all governments to take thefollowing actions:2

1.Observe the NPT regime and support the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
Steadily and sincerely promote nuclear disarmament in accordance with the NPT
regime so that nuclear weapons will never be used again, listen to the strong voices ofcivil society, the voices of those who have set the course for the successful adoption of
the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, and sign and ratify the treaty
leading to its early entry into force.

Reaffirm that this treaty is a significant step forward in the pursuit of a futurecomprehensive nuclear weapons convention achieving the total elimination of nuclearweapons.

2. Make efforts to address global issues that deprive human beings of dignity.
Make sincere and prompt efforts to address global issues that deprive human beings ofdignity, such as nuclear weapons, chemical weapons, conflicts, refugee crises, famine,poverty, discrimination, violence, environmental destruction and terrorism.

3. Make efforts to create a culture of peace and offer opportunities to more people to learn, beaware of, and realize the harsh reality of atomic bombings and wars.
Call on representatives from governments and international agencies to visit theatomic-bombed cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, so that the inhumanity of nuclearweapons can be imprinted firmly in their hearts after learning of the reality of thebombings. As a result of such visits, they will better appreciate the need to abolishsuch weapons as soon as possible. Provide full support to activities promoting thepreservation of war experiences, atomic bomb exhibitions and peace research andeducation programs to be held in the cities, so that the citizens of those cities canwidely share the horrors of war and civil conflicts in various parts of world.

Addressing the above, at the 9th General Conference, Mayors for Peace adopted the ActionPlan for the period of 2017 to 2020. We hereby pledge to make every endeavor to achieve theabolition of nuclear weapons at the earliest possible date and aim for lasting peace in theworld.

August 10, 2017
Nagasaki, JapanThe 9th General Conferencefor Mayors for Peace3