When a city becomes a battleground, everything generations of mayors and citizens have worked so hard to build is destroyed. When international stability is said to depend on mutual assured destruction, the hostages – cities – are in grave danger.
Mayors for Peace is the leading international organization devoted to protecting cities from the scourge of war and mass destruction.  Our 2020 Vision Campaign aims to establish a nuclear-weapon-free world by the year 2020.

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In May we received donations from 4 countries, in total 31 cities paid!!

In total, 11400 euro was contributed to the campaign. We hope this trend will continue the coming months, when we will send out more invoices. We would like to thank all the contributing cities for their ongoing support and generosity.

Click here to see the cities who paid.

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San Jose (Costa Rica), May 22nd 2013 – Today the President of the National Union of Local Governments signed a letter of intention with Mayors for Peace. The agreement of co-operation was signed during an event in the Costa Rican capital which also featured a presentation by Ward Wilson about the five myths of nuclear weapons. The event was initiated by Ms. Edine von Herold, a former Member of Parliament and 2020 Vision Campaigner in Costa Rica.

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Mexico City, May 20^th 2013 – Mayor Thore Vestby, Vice President of the Mayors for Peace 2020 Vision Campaign, was welcomed by two Mexican Associations of Local Governments during a series of events to promote Mayors for Peace. The visit to Mexico offered the opportunity to raise awareness of the global threat of nuclear weapons. The visit of Mayor Vestby also created the opportunity to engage in a dialogue with the Mexican Mayors concerning the increased armed violence in Mexico. The proliferation of small weapons and gang violence has resulted in the murder of 38 Mexican mayors and more than 60,000 people during the past six years. The brutal violence has put public security at the top of the political agenda of both the national and local governments.

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Geneva, Switzerland.  Aaron Tovish, International Campaign Director, and Esteban Ramirez, UN Representative, attended the start of the Open Ended Working Group (OEGW) on nuclear disarmament set up by the United Nations General Assembly amidst growing frustration with the ongoing paralysis of the Conference on Disarmament and insufficient progress towards the achievement of a world free of nuclear weapons. 

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"I believe in the importance of making this issue as broad as possible politically, in order to gather support from all parties from left to right" 

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In the month of April 2013 the 2020 Vision Campaign received donations from 4 cities of 4 countries, amounting to a total of € 4,383.65. We would like to extend our sincere gratitude to our member cities for their continuing generosity in supporting our efforts to realize a nuclear-weapon-free world by 2020.

Significant donations were made by our member cities in Belgium, Germany, Canada and USA.

We hope that this positive trend continues for the rest of 2013.

» Read more about it» List of contributing cities April 2013

We are very pleased to announce the completion of the 2013 Progress Report for the 2020 Vision Campaign.

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Bogota, April 9 2013 - More than one million people gathered in a march in the Colombian capital Bogota to celebrate the Day for Peace, Democracy and Defense of the Public Interest. Its main purpose was to strengthen the peace process, with the dialogue currently taking place in Havana between the Colombian government and the FARC. April 9th marks a symbolic date in the history of violence in Colombia. 65 years ago, in the wake of slain political leader Jorge Eliecer Gaitan. The violence left nearly 300,000 Colombians killed.

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In the month of March 2013 the 2020 Vision Campaign received donations from 10 cities of 4 countries, amounting to a total of € 2.361,74. We would like to extend our sincere gratitude to our member cities for their continuing generosity in supporting our efforts to realize a nuclear-weapon-free world by 2020.

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Thomas Mathew is the first 2020 Vision Campaigner for Mayors for Peace in India. Special mention has to be made of his instrumental role in recruiting Cochin as the first Associate City for the 2020 Vision Campaign in South Asia.

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New York, 13-14 March 2013 - Representatives of the Global Network on Safer Cities (GNSC) gathered in New York City to establish a global agenda for a safer future in the cities of the world. The meeting concluded on the idea that a “change in mentalities and strategies” was necessary. In this perspective, Joan Clos, UN-Habitat Executive Director, underlined that this new trend was to include the need to“recover street life” in order to create safer spaces. He quoted the examples of Bogota and San Salvador, two cities where specific action plans noticeably reduced the cases of violence.

According to the Mayor of Bogota, who also attended the meeting, the key to success is to focus safety policies on “social inclusion, poverty eradication and human rights” in order to fight violence from its source, rather than implement policies “based on repression and violation of human rights”. Following the same idea, the Mayor of Los Angeles, Antonio Villaraigosa, called on participants to focus on prevention and guarantee that “police forces not only enforce the law but also obey it”.

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The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway invited all the states in the world to a conference addressing the dreadful humanitarian impact of nuclear weapons. 127 countries gathered for two days of practical and scientific consideration of the matter.  The absence of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council (‘the P5’) – who possess 95% of the world nuclear weapons – was noted with disapproval, while the presence of nuclear-armed India and Pakistan was welcomed. I was also invited along with a large delegation from ICAN (see accompanying article) and several religious leaders

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Executive Member Mayor Thore Vestby and Mayors for Peace staff participated in the conference of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear meeting in Oslo which preceded the governmental conference on the humanitarian consequences of nuclear weapon use.  At the ICAN’s ‘marketplace’ the Mayors for Peace team invited conference participants to check whether their city was a member of Mayors for Peace:  if not, they were provided with materials to recruit their mayor; if so, ideas for engaging in peace activities with City Hall were discussed.  A 2020 Vision Campaign poster exhibit, featuring a 3-D display, was also on view.

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Mayors for Peace welcomed 2013 with a very important and noteworthy achievement: Cochin became the first Associate City for the 2020 Vision Campaign in South Asia. One of the UN Representatives of the 2020 Vision Campaign, Merryl George, during a visit to India met with the Mayor of Cochin, Mr Tony Chammany, and presented the proposal of Cochin becoming an Associate City for the 2020 Vision Campaign.

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The UK & Ireland Mayors for Peace Working Group held its latest meeting on the 18th February in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. A good attendance of member authorities and NGOs working on the nuclear weapons issue took part in the discussion. 

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In the month of February 2013 the 2020 Vision Campaign received donations from 9 cities of 6 countries, amounting to a total of € 2.494,74. We would like to extend our sincere gratitude to our member cities for their continuing generosity in supporting our efforts to realize a nuclear-weapon-free world by 2020.

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The atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki has polarised opinion for nearly 70 years . . .

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Mayors for Peace North American Coordinator Jackie Cabasso addressed the International Affairs Committee of the U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) at its annual winter meeting in Washington, DC on January 18.  Citing rising international tensions, huge financial expenditures, and recent studies showing that even a very limited nuclear exchange could lead to global famine, she stressed the urgent need to abolish nuclear weapons. On the positive side, she reported on encouraging developments in the United Nations and the continuing growth of Mayors for Peace.

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In the month of January 2013 the 2020 Vision Campaign received donations from 13 cities of 4 countries, amounting to a total of € 5.290,93. We would like to extend our sincere gratitude to our member cities for their continuing generosity in supporting our efforts to realize a nuclear-weapon-free world by 2020.

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Santiago de Chile, January 28th 2013 -  Mayors for Peace welcomes the renewed commitment of the 33 Heads of State of Latin America and the Caribbean to work towards a world free of nuclear weapons. The leaders reaffirmed the priority objective to reach a world free of nuclear weapons in the Santiago Declaration adopted today. The regional summit emphasized “the commitment to participate actively and share a common position at the High Level Meeting of the United Nations General Assembly on Nuclear Disarmament, to be held in New York City, on 26 September 2013.”

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In the month of December 2012 the 2020 Vision Campaign received donations from 11 cities of 6 countries, amounting to a total of € 4.163,97. We would like to extend our sincere gratitude to our member cities for their continuing generosity in supporting our efforts to realize a nuclear-weapon-free world by 2020.

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The nuclear threat to cities in particular and the world in general has faded from public and governmental consciousness since the end of the Cold War. This undermines the urgency with which governments work on eliminating the threat, thereby increasing the exposure of cities and the world to the catastrophic consequences of nuclear weapons use. An excellent initiative by the Norwegian Government, with the support of 34 countries, aims to challenge this complacency by revisiting the devastation of the Cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and by reviewing the state of scientific inquiry into the impact of nuclear war on the global climate, and the consequence that might follow.
Click here to go directly to the Action Alert

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Berlin, November 27^th 2012 - The U.N. Association of Germany will award this year's Otto Hahn Peace Medal In Gold to former Hiroshima Mayor Tadatoshi Akiba for his contributions to global peace.  Akiba  (70) was noted for his continued calls for the abolition of nuclear weapons and promotion of peace while he was a mayor that "broke new ground by undertaking his work on nuclear disarmament on a local level," the UN Association of Germany said today.  The branch said Akiba made outstanding efforts toward nuclear disarmament as mayor of Hiroshima and president of Mayors for Peace, an international organization of cities for the promotion of peace.

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Since March 2011, The Syrian capital of Damascus and regional cities such as Aleppo, Daraa, Homs, Idlib have been turned into battlegrounds for conflicts between the rebels and forces of Syrian government and also suffered attacks by terrorists.  In several cities including Damascus, there have been bombardments, causing an unknown number of casualties. To escape the violence, an estimated 200,000 refugees have fled to neighboring countries.  We strongly condemn subjecting innocent residents to incessant gunfire and bombardment and forcing them to flee for safety.  We urge all parties concerned to make their best effort to end this situation immediately.

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Hiroshima, December 4th 2012 - Today Mr. Kazumi Matsui, Mayor of Hiroshima and President of Mayors for Peace, send a message of support to Mr. Gustavo Petro, the Mayor of Bogota.

Last September Mr. Gustavo Preto launched a new network of Mayors and Governors for Peace in Colombia in order to involve local governments in the peace process through dialogue to put an end to the internal armed conflict which has raged in Colombia for decades.

Mayors for Peace has been invited to the next meeting of Mayors and Governors for Peace planned for next January 2013 in the City of Santa Marta.

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Hiroshima, December 1st 2012 - All the 16 members of the Association Of Municipalities of the Planalto (AMPLA) were officially registered today as new members of Mayors for Peace. The Planalto is a region in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul, bringing total membership in Brazil up to 95.

On December 1st a total of 47 new members were welcomed: Argentina (1), Brazil (16), Germany (1), Iceland (1), Iran (3), Japan (7), Madagascar (1), Mexico (11), Netherlands (3), Philippines (1) and Spain (2), bringing total membership to 5,490 members in 155 countries and regions.

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In the month of November the 2020 Vision Campaign received donations from 12 cities of 6 countries, amounting to a total of € 3199,66. We would like to extend our sincere gratitude to our member cities for their continuing generosity in supporting our efforts to realize a nuclear-weapon-free world by 2020.

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Our 2020 Vision Campaigner Shahriar Khateri is the cheif author of this article, which appears in the Middle East Research and Information Project.

It was February 1987, at the front lines near Khorramshahr, in the south of Iran along the Iraqi border. We had been engaged in heavy battles for over a week. Our troops had penetrated fortified Iraqi positions, and the Iraqis were making us pay: Artillery and mortar shells rained down on us with a vengeance, as did bombs from Iraqi planes.

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Brasilia, November 21st 2012 - During a meeting at the Brazilian Presidential Palace, the Palacio de Planalto. 1,000 Hiroshima Peace Cranes and a letter of the ICAN Hiroshima Youth Committee were delivered to President Dilma Rousseff. The 1,000 Hiroshima Peace Cranes delivery in Brazil is part of a global Paper Crane project of the International Campaign for the Abolition of Nuclear weapons (ICAN). All the heads of state receive the 1,000 Peace Cranes with a letter of the Hiroshima Youth mobilizing support for the Nuclear Weapons Convention.

In Brazil the Hiroshima message was delivered by Ambassador Sergio Duarte, former UN High Representative on Disarmament Affairs, and Pol Heanna DHuyvetter, Executive Advisor for Mayors for Peace. They were received by Ambassador Guilherme Patriota, Special Adviser of President Dilma, Mr. Olavo Noleto Alves, Subdirector of Federal Affairs of President Dilma and Ms. Ana Carolina Lorena, Advisor for International Affairs at the Presidential Palace.

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Neither of the new resolutions, in itself, is earthshaking; it is the combination of the two which is so promising.  The 2020 Vision Campaign is proud of its contributions to the development of both these resolutions.

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Panama City, November 9th 2012 - Today the Association of Municipalities of Panama (AMUPA) and Mayors for Peace entered an agreement of co-operation. In the agreement AMUPA and Mayors for Peace ``affirm their determination to work together to free the cities from the scourge of war``, an issue which received special resonance as Panama suffered severe US bombings in December 1989. In the agreement AMUPA declares its full support for the Mayors for Peace 2020 Vision Campaign for the total elimination of all nuclear weapons by 2020. AMUPA calls all 75 Mayors from Panama to formally join the movement of Mayors for Peace. An interesting development as Mayors for Peace does not have any member in Panama to date.

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In the month of October the 2020 Vision Campaign received donations from 9 cities of 5 countries, amounting to a total of € 3902,74. We would like to extend our sincere gratitude to our member cities for their continuing generosity in supporting our efforts to realize a nuclear-weapon-free world by 2020.

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Mexico City, October 31st 2012 - During a first meeting with Mr. Sergio Arredondo Olvera, the Secretary General of FENAMM, agreement of co-operation was signed with Mayors for Peace. FENAMM, the National Federation of Municipalities of Mexico, is the largest Association of Local Governments in Mexico with over 1,500 affiliated Mayors. FENAMM, a network of networks, represents local governments mostly affiliated with the PRI, the political party which won the latest national and Local elections.

The Secretary General of FENAMM also handed an invitation for the President of Mayors for Peace to deliver a key-note speech at the next Annual Conference of FENAMM in Guadalajara in May 2013. FENAMM also invited the leaders of many Associations of Local Governments of Latin America and the Caribbean to the conference.

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Mexico City, October 29th 2012 - AALMAC, the Association of Local Authorities of Mexico, invited Mayors for Peace to its XV Anniversary Conference in the City of Mexico. At the start of the conference a message of Mr. Kazumi Matsui, the Mayor of Hiroshima and President of Mayors for Peace, was delivered to Mr. Marcelo Ebrard, the outgoing Mayor of Mexico City. During the AALMAC conference 15 Mexican Mayors joined Mayors for Peace. Plans were also discussed to establish a Mayors for Peace office in Mexico City and involve the 16 district Mayors of the capital city of Mexico. Mr. Miguel Angel Mancera Espinosa will replace Marcelo Ebrard on December 5th as new Mayor of the Federal District.

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On October 19th, Paris City Hall (France) welcomed the General Assembly of AFCDRP (French Association of Cities, Departments and Regions for Peace), the Fernch chapter of Mayors for Peace. Mayors and representatives of 30 French member cities attended this meeting, where a wide range of peace related issues were discussed, including increasing the membership and raising awareness about the urgent need of abolishing nuclear weapons.

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A resolution drafted by Austria, Mexico, and Norway that would have the UN General Assembly establish a Working Group for a nuclear weapon free world, has garnered the sponsorship of 16 countries:

Austria, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Iceland, Ireland, Liechtenstein, Mexico,  New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Peru, Philippines Slovenia, Trinidad and Tobago and Uruguay.  If adopted in its current form, a Working Group would meet in Geneva for three weeks in 2013 and report back to the General Assembly.  While three weeks falls well short of the non-stop attention this topic so urgently merits and requires, it is a big improvement over the procedural deadlock that has reigned in Geneva for the last FIFTEEN years.  We therefore amend the UNGA Action Alert announced last month to incorporate this very positive development.

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Demonstrating leadership once again, the Heads of Government of Latin America and the Caribbean recently issued a communiqué declaring their strong commitment to work to convene a high-level international meeting on the elimination of nuclear weapons.  Mayors for Peace has adopted this as the new 'gold standard' to which all leaders should aspire. This ACTION ALERT aims to have the NWFZ governments in Africa, Central Asia, Southeast Asia, and the South Pacific each adopt on a regional basis this same 'strong commitment.'  To that end the Chairman of the 2020 Vision Campaign has written to all Mayors for Peace member mayors in those regions asking them to take this up with their Head of Government.

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In the month of September the 2020 Vision Campaign received donations from 8 cities of 4 countries, amounting to a total of € 2190. We would like to extend our sincere gratitude to our member cities for their continuing generosity in supporting our efforts to realize a nuclear-weapon-free world by 2020.

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Reykjavik (Iceland), October 8th 2012 - Yoko Ono awarded five peace awards at a ceremony in the capital of Iceland. During the ceremony Mr. Jón Gnarr, the Mayor of Reykjavik, said that his city has a unique position in the world to promote peace and support of the Mayors for Peace 2020 Vision Campaign. Reykjavik joined Mayors for Peace on November 1st 2010.

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Hiroshima, October 1st 2012 - With the Mayors of Astana (Kazahkstan), Bogota (Colombia) and Mogadishu (Somalia) joining Mayors for Peace during the past couple of months the network now counts 112 capital cities amongst its membership.

Out of the 193 recognized capital cities Mayors for Peace now has well over half (58%) in support of the campaign to ban nuclear weapons by 2020.

It is relevant to note that the Mayors of the capitals of six of the Nuclear Weapon States have joined Mayors for Peace, with the capitals of China (Beijing), France (Paris), India (Delhi), Israel (Jerusalem West), Russia (Moscow) and the UK (London) being amongst the membership. Also 20 of the 28 member states of the NATO nuclear alliance have joined Mayors for Peace. 

Capital membership is particularly high in Europe (67%) and Africa (61%).

Click here for full list of 193 capital cities (112 members and 81 non-members).

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Bogota, September 28th 2012 - Mr. Gustavo Petro, the Mayor of Bogota convened a meeting of Governors and Mayors for Peace at the City Hall of the Colombian capital. The meeting of 6 governors and 40 mayors greeted the start of the peace negotiations between the Colombian guerrillas and government in Oslo and Havana. The Mayor of Bogota joined Mayors for Peace last August 1st. Mayors for Peace counts 16 members in Colombia.

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On September 18^th, 2012 the sixty-seventh session of the United Nations General Assembly will open its gates at the UN Headquarters in New York.  In the weeks to follow, one of the most important points on the agenda will call for the commencement of comprehensive multilateral negotiations towards a Nuclear Weapons Convention (NWC) in the form of a Resolution called “Follow-up to the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice on the Legality of the Threat or Use of Nuclear Weapons”.

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Brazil, September 4th 2012 - Mr. Tomihisa Taue, the Mayor of Nagasaki and Vice President of Mayors for Peace, visited the cities of Santos (SP), Sao Paulo (SP) and Rio de Janeiro (RJ) from August 28th till September 4th 2012. The visit marked the 40th anniversary of the sister-city relationship between Nagasaki and Santos and the 50th anniversary of the Brazilian Nagasaki Prefecture association. Mayor Tomihisa Taue also took the time to meet with the Mayors of Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, the two largest cities of Brazil with respectively 11,5 million and 6,5 million inhabitants, to discuss the development of Mayors for Peace in Brazil and Latin America. The meetings took place in the midst of the election campaign for Brazilian local governments scheduled for next month.

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In the month of August the 2020 Vision Campaign received donations from 16 cities of 5 countries, amounting to a total of € 4100. We would like to extend our sincere gratitude to our member cities for their continuing generosity in supporting our efforts to realize a nuclear-weapon-free world by 2020.

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30 August 2012 - The following opinion piece by Secretary-General BAN Ki-moon has appeared in leading newspapers in Argentina, Bangladesh, Burundi, China, Germany, India, Iran, Italy, Japan, Lebanon, Malaysia, The Philippines, Republic of Korea, Russia, Serbia, Turkey, Ukraine and European weekly publications and has been translated into 10 languages.

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Nagasaki, August 13, 2012 - NPO Peace Depot reports that the  heads of 404 local authorities and two municipal governmental organizations had expressed support for a statement to create a nuclear-weapon-free zone in Northeast Asia. In the last one hundred  days alone the names of more than one hundred leaders were added.

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In the month of June the 2020 Vision Campaign received donations from 18 cities of 3 countries, amounting to a total of € 8695. We would like to extend our gratitude to our member cities for their continuing generosity in supporting our efforts to realize a nuclear-weapon-free world by 2020.

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At the close of its 80th annual meeting in Orlando Florida, on June 16, 2012, the U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) unanimously adopted a strong, comprehensive, new Mayors for Peace resolution Calling for U.S. Leadership in Global Elimination of Nuclear Weapons and Redirection of Nuclear Weapons Spending to Meet the Urgent Needs of Cities.

The U.S. Conference of Mayors is the national association of cities with populations over 30,000. Resolutions adopted at its annual meetings become official USCM policy.

Click here to access the full story, including a list of the sponsoring mayors and a link to the text of the resolution.

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Rio de Janeiro, June 21st, 2012 – Mayors for Peace and ICLEI joined their voices calling for leaders at Rio+20 to redirect 10% military spending to fund social & environmental needs, supporting the international Appeal for “Disarmament for Development”. In front of the `Rio+20 Global Town Hall´ hosted by the State Government of Rio de Janeiro, and across the street from the official Rio+20 Summit, local authorities signed the Appeal in front of a life-sized Tank covered with Bread.

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Rio de Janeiro, June 19th, 2012 – A life-sized Tank covered with Bread at the favela Santa Marta, in the city of Rio, calls attention for governments meeting at the United Nations Conference for Sustainable Development – Rio+20 to redirect 10% of the global annually military expenditures to fight hunger, eradicate extreme poverty, provide better education and healthcare, and to fund urgent environmental programs.

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Belo Horizonte (Brazil), May 17, 2012 – Today the World Mayors Council and the ICLEI World Congress have approved unanimously the Rio+20 Appeal on Disarmament for Sustainable Development. Both global networks of local governments add their voice to Mayors for Peace, calling leaders at the Rio+20 World Summit to set new priorities by redirecting military expenditures towards social and environmental priorities.

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Hiroshima, June 7th 2012 – Two weeks before the start of the Rio+20 Summit Mr. Kazumi Matsui, Mayor of Hiroshima and President of Mayors for Peace has added his signature to the Rio+20 Appeal calling on governments to cut military spending in favor of sustainable development.  Mayors for Peace counts 5,276 member cities in 153 countries and regions, and is the world`s largest network of local governments protecting cities from the scourge of war and mass destruction.

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The Mayors for Peace 2020 Vision Campaign welcomes the new IPPNW/PSR study released on April 24th offering compelling scientific evidence that most of the nuclear arsenals in the world —whether large or small—threaten everyone on Earth. The study shows that even a limited nuclear war involving less than half a percent of the world's nuclear arsenals would cause climate disruption that could cause a global famine. The study was presented at the annual Nobel Peace Laureates Summit in Chicago. IPPNW (International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War) was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1985.

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Hiroshima, June 1st 2012 - Mayors for Peace announced that 39 new members officially joined the network during the month of May, bringing membership close to 5,300 members. Today the main international network of local governments protecting cities from mass destruction and war officially counts 5,276 cities in 153 countries and regions.

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The 2020 Vision Campaign received donations from 40 cities of 4 countries, coming to a total of € 24 470,07 during the month of May. We would like to extend our gratitude to our member cities for their continuing generosity in supporting our efforts to realize a nuclear-weapon-free world by 2020.

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The 2020 Vision Campaign received donations from 13 cities of 4 countries, coming to a total of € 4830,37 during the month of April. We would like to extend our gratitude to our member cities for their continuing generosity in supporting our efforts to realize a nuclear-weapon-free world by 2020.

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The 2020 Vision Campaign received donations from 12 cities of 5 countries, coming to a total of €5.339,63 during the month of March.

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A European delegation of Mayors for Peace received a warm reception in Kazakhstan, opened a new Mayors for Peace office in Semey, and developed plans for activities at the East Kazakhstan Region level and nationally.   The delegation of leading Mayors of the 2020 Vision Campaign and members of its Board of Directors spent four days meeting with city, province, and state officials.

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Vitacura (Chile), March 21st 2012 - The Association of Chilean Municipalities (ACHM) and Mayors for Peace entered an agreement of cooperation during a signing ceremony near the Chilean capital Santiago.

The agreement of cooperation with the ACHM is significant as Chile coordinates the position of the 116 member states of Nuclear Weapon Free Zones during the upcoming NPT PrepCom in Vienna. Chile is also holding the Presidency of the new Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) till January 2013.

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Santiago de Chile, March 20th 2012 - The Executive Bureau of the Federation of Latin American and Caribbean Cities, Municipalities and Local government associations (FLACMA) approved with unanimity a Mayors for Peace motion calling for the Latin American and Caribbean to give ''high priority and assign resources to involve local governments and civil society with the intention to 'convene a High Level conference to discuss and identify the ways and methods to eliminate nuclear weapons as soon as possible.” 

The FLACMA Executive Bureau members also demands ''our governments to recognize at the RIO+20 Conference that disarmament is a  condition towards development; and to coordinate a global plan for disarmament with the goal of achieving the commitments of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs); and the necessary funding to satisfy the urgent needs of the local governments and its citizens''.

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Brussels (Belgium), March 1, 2012 - Mr. Michel Cibot, a member of the Board of Directors of Mayors for Peace from the city of Malakoff, represented Mayors for Peace at a conference of the Association Internationales des Maires Francophones (AIMF – International Association of Francophone Mayors).

Mr. Cibot was accompanied by representatives from the International Secretariat in Ypres. Mayors for Peace received an invitation thanks to the Mayor of Montreal, Mr. Gérald Tremblay, who is both vice-president of AIMF and an executive member of Mayors for Peace. Mr. Cibot spoke on behalf of the organisation, setting out its work and objectives and inviting new mayors to join.

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Boca del Rio, March 1st, 2012 - Mayors for Peace was presented in a video message to over 2000 Mayors and City Officials at the Annual Conference of FENAMM (National Federation of Municipalities of Mexico) at Boca del Rio, Mexico. The Conference, jointly organized by FENAMM and the Government of the State of Veracruz from March 1-3, 2012, is considered as the main gathering of local authorities in Mexico.

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On the occasion of SHAPE’2012 in Brussels, organized by the SCK (Study Center for Nuclear Energy in Mol, Belgium) the president of Mayors for Peace Belgium, Ingrid Pira, and the Managing Director of the International Secretariat in Ieper, Matthias Breyne went to the Opening Ceremony of the Conference.

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During the month of February, the 2020 Vision Campaign received a total of €1.392,74, donated by five cities in four different countries.

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Mexico City, February 15th 2012 - Mayors for Peace was invited to the Seminar marking the 45th anniversary of the Treaty of Tlatalolco. Participants from more than 30 countries assembled to learn about the history of the Treaty of Tlatelolco and debated about the future role of the Nuclear Weapon Free Zones (NWFZ) to achieve complete nuclear disarmament. The Seminar was organized by OPANAL, the Agency for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean, based in Mexico City.

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Washington, DC (USA), January 18-20, 2012 - Mayors for Peace North American Coordinator Jackie Cabasso represented Mayors for Peace at the January 18 – 20 annual winter meeting of the United States Conference of Mayors (USCM) in Washington, DC, where she made a presentation to the International Affairs Committee, had informal conversations with Mayors for Peace members, and invited new mayors to join.  The USCM is the non-partisan national association of cities with populations over 30,000.  At the top of its agenda is the urgent financial crisis facing U.S. cities as a result of deep cuts in federal funding. Nearly one-third of the 248 mayors who pre-registered for the USCM winter meeting – 78 mayors from 31 states and Puerto Rico – are members of Mayors for Peace!

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The 2020 Vision Campaign received donations from 16 cities of 9 countries, coming to a total of € 10997,96 during the month of January. We would like to extend our gratitude to our member cities for their continuing generosity in supporting our efforts to realize a nuclear-weapon-free world by 2020.

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Three-quarters of all nations support UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s proposal for a treaty to outlaw and eliminate nuclear weapons, according to a study released today by the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons.

Of the 146 nations to have declared their willingness to negotiate a new global disarmament pact, four maintain nuclear stockpiles: China, India, Pakistan and North Korea.

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It has been an objective of Mayors for Peace from the days of its founding to see nuclear weapon testing prohibited. On December 8th, the world took a step closer to that goal when the Indonesian Parliament ratified the Comprehensive (nuclear) Test Ban Treaty (CTBT).

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Caracas (Venezuela), December 3rd 2011 - Leaders from 33 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean formally established the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) as the new leading regional bloc. The newly formed group that intends to be the leading regional bloc called for nuclear disarmament in its "Special Communique on the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons", which includes preparing joint positions for the 2015 NPT Review Conference and a call for the convening of a high-level conference “to identify ways and methods to eliminate nuclear weapons as soon as possible” with a view to establishing a time-bound framework to “prohibit the development, production, acquisition, testing, stockpiling, transfer, use or threat of use, and also stipulate their destruction.”

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Geneva, Switzerland, 26th November 2011 -- On behalf of its more than 5000 city-members, Mayors for Peace welcomes the Red Cross & Red Crescent Movement resolution “Working towards the elimination of nuclear weapons”.

Aaron Tovish, International Director of the 2020 Vision Campaign of Mayors for Peace said: “The resolution is crystal clear that it is the responsibility of all states to ensure that there are no more Hiroshimas or Nagasakis.”

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Granollers (Spain), November 10th 2011 - Sixteen delegations of Mayors for Peace leading cities and associations of local governments met for three days in the Spanish city of Granollers. The summit meetings included the annual General Meeting of the 2020 Vision Campaign, the Board of Directors and the bi-annual Executive Conference of Mayors for Peace.

The final resolution of the summit reaffirmed the goal of Mayors for Peace to protect cities from the threat of nuclear mass destruction and approved an action plan to eliminate all nuclear weapons by 2020. Great concern was expressed that, in a time of global economic crisis, Nuclear Weapons States plan to spend 1 trillion US$ on nuclear weapons in the next decade, while local governments are forced to make deep cuts in vital services with the Millennium Development Goals falling farther and farther behind.

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Granollers (Spain), 9th November 2011 - The results of a survey conducted with member-cities in Latin America and the Caribbean were presented during the Executive Conference of Mayors for Peace in Granollers. In a presentation made by Mr. Claudio Maffei, Mayor of Porto Feliz (SP, Brazil) and vice-president of FNP, and Pol Heanna, International Development Director, the Latin American perspective was explored on topics concerning the 2020 Vision Campaign and their perceived local security threats.

The results of the survey confirmed the importance of Article 1 of the Covenant of Mayors for Peace. With the perceived distant threat of nuclear weapons for the nuclear weapon free region, Latin American local governments are faced on a daily bases with some other ''vital problems for the human race such as starvation and poverty, the plight of refugees, human rights abuses, and environmental degradation'' mentioned in the first article of the Covenant of Mayors for Peace.   

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Foz de Iguacu, October 18th 2011 - The Brazilian National Front of Mayors (FNP) officially joined the leadership of Mayors for Peace during their General Meeting in Foz de Iguacu (Parana). João Coser, the Mayor of Vitoria (ES) and President of FNP co-signed on Op-ed in Folha de Sao Paulo asking President Dilma to take leadership to organize the Special Disarmament Conference as proposed by Mayors for Peace.

The Op-ed, the main article on page 3,  announced publicly that ''believing in the importance of their involvement in global issues, the FNP will officially become part of the leadership of Mayors for Peace during the meeting that begins today [October 17th] in Foz de Iguacu. Let us all endorse the words of President Rousseff to "redouble our efforts towards general and complete nuclear disarmament under strict and effective international control", and reminding the international community that cities can no longer be considered targets.''.

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Bern (Switzerland), October 16th 2011 - Mayor Guy Morin of Basel, Switzerland, a Leading Mayor of the 2020 Vision Campaign gave a keynote speech at a conference organized by Parliamentarians for Nuclear nonproliferation and Disarmament (PNND).  Campaign Director, Aaron Tovish, attend the PNND Annual Assembly to discussion future cooperation in the context of the 2020 Vision Campaign.  The meetings took place in Bern, Switzerland, in conjunction with the International Parliamentary Union’s annual conference.  Like Mayors for Peace and United Cities and Local Governments, thanks to PNND the IPU has endorsed the UN Secretary-General’s Five Point Plan, including negotiations of a nuclear weapons convention.

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Mayors for Peace has welcomed Mayor Kang as a new member of Mayors for Peace.  Mayor Kang is still in jail for his non-violent civil disobedience against the construction of a new huge naval base. Mayors can now express their support here by sending this statement.  Thank you for taking action!

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Astana (Kazakhstan), 10^th-14^th October 2011 - A delegation from Mayors for Peace leadership - Nagasaki and Ypres- joined the International Forum for a Nuclear Weapons-Free World in Astana. A warm welcome and four days of very interesting meetings, discussions and visits were on the agenda.

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Santa Barbara (California), October 9th 2011 - The past Mayors for Peace President and former Hiroshima Mayor Tadatoshi Akiba received the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation’s Distinguished Peace Leadership Award in Santa Barbara, California. Shigeko Sasamori, a survivor of the U.S. atomic bombing of Hiroshima received the World Citizenship Award on behalf of all Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bomb survivors (hibakusha). The awards were presented during the Foundation’s 28^th Annual Evening for Peace, “From Hiroshima to Hope.”

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Buenos Aires, September 21st 2011 - Mayors for Peace signed an agreement of cooperation with IC-Argentina at the end of the Latin American Security Conference in the Argentinian capital. IC-Argentina, the operational organizer of many conferences for local governments in the region, is a private consulting firm working with local governments throughout Latin America.

In the agreement signed today Mayors for Peace recognizes the valuable contribution of IC-Argentina during the Week of Latin American Municipalities in Buenos Aires and Mar del Plata in October 2010. Mayors for Peace is very thankful for the support offered by IC-Argentina towards the 66th Hiroshima commemoration on August 6th 2011.

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Participating in events marking the UN’s International Day of Peace, Mayors, 2020 Vision Campaigners, and staff spread the good news that the Mayors for Peace network has surpassed the 5000-members mark. 

Word was first released in Hiroshima by the President of Mayors for Peace, Mayor Kazumi Matsui, “"We hope that international moves to seek to eliminate nuclear weapons will gain further momentum.  We will make efforts to draw more cities to speedily achieve a treaty to ban nuclear weapons." 

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Buenos Aires, September 21st 2011 - Julio Pereyra, Mayor of Florencio Varela & President of FAM (Federation of Argentinian Municipalities) has joined the leadership of Mayors for Peace. FAM is instrumental to increase our presence and activities in Argentina.

Mayors for Peace participated the past couple of days in a Latin American conference organized by FAM and FLACMA on citizens security issues in Buenos Aires. During the conference 8 Mayors joined Mayors for Peace.

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Montes de Oro, Costa Rica, September 17 2011 - An excellent meeting to develop Mayors for Peace in Costa Rica was held today with Mr. Alvaro Jimenez Cruz, Mayor of Montes de Oro & President of the Association of Mayors of Costa Rica .

The meeting was convened in Montes de Oro by Dr.Edine von Herold, ex-Senator of Costa Rica and pediatrician. We were joined by Carlos Manuel Vicente Castro, Ex-Member of Parliament and ex-Minister of Costa Rica, Naara Keyla Reyes Nunez, volunteer MfP Costa Rica and Enrique Tovar, journalist and writer.

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Managua, Nicaragua, September 16th 2011 - Today an extraordinary general assembly of AMUNIC, the Nicaragua Association of Local Governments, adopted a declaration in support of the 2020 Vision Campaign of Mayors for Peace. Nicaragua is the only country in the world where 100% of all 153 Nicaraguan  Mayors have joined Mayors for Peace.

The General meeting of the Nicaraguan Mayors has decided to promote actively Mayors for Peace through the partner Associations of Local Governments in  Central America and through FLACMA, the Federation of local governments for Latin America and the Caribbean.. AMUNIC also decided to establish Mayors for Peace through a national and possible also regional office of MfP in Managua.

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Mexico City, September 13^th 2011 – The past couple of days new developments were discussed to establish Mayor for Peace in Mexico. Meetings involving the international relations department of the City of Mexico, AALMAC (Association of Local Authorities of Mexico), OPANAL, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Mexican ICLEI branch office.

During the meetings it was recognized that Mexico City the first Executive City of Mayors for Peace in Latin America, is challenged to promote the 2020 Vision Campaign as the nuclear threat is perceived very distant in the Global South. This while Mexico and the Global South in general, encounters many other security challenges such as poverty, the proliferation of small arms and narco traffic.

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Ypres, September 7th 2011 - We are very happy to announce that the Mayors for Peace 2020 Vision Campaign Association has appointed Mr. Benedict Winnubst as and Mr. Bert Sweerts as 2020 Vision Campaigners in the Netherlands, Ms Micaela Mezzadra as a 2020 Vision Campaigner in Argentina and Ms Bibiana Ángel González as a 2020 Vision Campaigner in Colombia and Argentina.

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Hiroshima, September 1st 2011 - Mayors for Peace announced today that 108 new members officially joined the network during August raising the total membership to 5,000 member cities. However municipal mergers deduced 16 members, resulting in a net count of 4,984. 

Amongst the new members we welcome Bangkok. With the capital of Thailand Mayors for Peace now has 106 of the world capitals amongst its members. The network also welcomes Mr. Kang Dong-Kyun, the Mayor of Gangjeong, South-Korea in its network. Mayor Kang signed the Mayors for Peace membership registration-form while in prison. He has been imprisoned for leading non-violent resistance to the construction of a naval base near his town on Jeju Island.

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BREAKING NEWS - being updated

Jeju Island (South Korea), August 28th 2011 - Today Mr. Kang Dong-Kyun, Mayor of Gangjeong, signed the Mayors for Peace membership registration-form while in police custody. Mayor Kang joined Mayors for Peace during a visit of the village committee chairman Mr. Go Gwon-Il. Mayor Kang has been on the forefront of non-violent protests against plans to establish a new naval base in his village. Mayor Kang was arrested on August 24th. On Monday Mayor Kang is to be transferred to Jeju prison. Jeju Island means Peace Island. The new member of Mayors for Peace appeals to international solidarity: ''I want to embody the spirit of Jeju as the Peace Island during the struggle''. If not a mayor, Mr Kang is a farmer who groves tangerines.

You can send messages of support to Jeju Prison.

Mayor Kang Dong-Kyun (No. 621)
Jeju Prison, 161 Ora-2dong, Jeju City, Jeju Special Island, 690-162, South Korea 

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Hiroshima & Nagasaki, August 9th 2011 - This year both the Hiroshima and the Nagasaki Peace Declarations mark a shift in the position of the two A-bombed cities towards nuclear energy. The policy shift comes in the middle of the Fukushima nuclear crisis that continues to haunt Japan and the world.

Both Mayor Matsui and Mayor Taue renewed their call to work towards establishing a world free of nuclear weapons by 2020. Government representatives from 68 countries attended the Hiroshima peace ceremony. This year a U.S. representative attended the Nagasaki peace ceremony for the first time. The U.S. bomb ''Little Boy'' killed 140,000 people in 1945 alone in Hiroshima. Three days later ''Fat Man'' killed 80,000 people in Nagasaki.

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Lima, Peru, August 6th 2011 - Over one hundred people marched through streets of La Victoria to commemorate the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. La Victoria joined Mayors for Peace last month. 

The City Hall of La Victoria hosted the event called “A Thousand Cranes for Peace” organized by the Women Network of Local Authorities of the Lima and Callao region (MUALIC) together with Mayors for Peace.

The movement was led by the Mayor of La Victoria, Mr. Alberto Sánchez Aizcorbe, who launched white balloons to the sky as an expression of peace from Peru to the world.

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Tokyo, August 4 2011 - Nagasaki Mayor Taue, Vice-President of Mayors for Peace, met with Foreign Minister Takeaki Matsumoto today where he promoted  a nuclear weapon-free zone covering Japan and the two Koreas.

Nagasaki Mayor calls on the Japanese government to work toward the creation of a nuclear weapon-free zone in the Northeast Asian region. Mayor Taue submitted signatures of 103 Japanese municipality heads in support of this proposal to the Foreign Ministry in Tokyo. The request was also signed by the Mayor Kazumi Matsui of Hiroshima.

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Hiroshima, August 1st 2011 - As Mayors for Peace announced that 89 new members officially joined the network during July, many new registration-forms continued to reach the Hiroshima headquarters bringing the organization close to its 5,000 goal.

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Washington DC, 29th of July 2011 - The U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) has for the first time sent a recruitment letter on behalf of Mayors for Peace to its full membership of nearly 1,200 mayors of cities with populations over 30,000. 

The letter,  mailed by Tom Cochran, USCM CEO and Executive Director, was signed by Mayor Donald Plusquellic of Akron Ohio, a Mayors for Peace Vice-President and USCM Past President, Mayor Jean Quan of Oakland California, new Chair of the USCM International Affairs Committee, and 13 additional Mayors for Peace members from across the country.  

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On August 6^th Belgian Mayors for Peace member cities join efforts with Abolition 2000 to commemorate the Hiroshima-Nagasaki bombings in nine Belgian cities. A moment of reflection, a day when everybody should take the time to stand still and remember what happened 66 years ago. It is a sign of solidarity, and a big ‘never again’!

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Paranaguá (Brazil), July 4th 2011 - Mayors for Peace and the Brazilian Association of Hibakusha were invited for the commemorations of the 363 anniversary of the city of Paranaguá (PR), in Brazil. Paranaguá is the third largest port city in Brazil. Today Mr. José Baka Filho, Mayor of Paranaguá, hosted a special event to celebrate their membership to Mayors for Peace with the opening of a public exhibition of the A-Bomb. The Mayor of Paranaguá successfully invited other Mayors from coastal cities of the state of Parana to join Mayors for Peace. The events were all well attended and received very positive media coverage.

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Hiroshima, July 1st 2011 - Mayors for Peace announced today that 71 new member cities have joined during the month of May 2011. The network of local governments now counts 4,803 member cities in 151 countries. With the new members Japan now tops 1,000 members. Also Mayor Alson Kelen from the Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands is amongst the new members. The Bikini Atoll is still suffering of the terrible consequences of the March 1st 1954 'Bravo' US atomic explosion.

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Buenos Aires, June 30th 2011 - The FAM (Federation of Argentinian Municipalities) has invited all its members to join Mayors for Peace before the upcoming Hiroshima commemoration of August 6th. FAM was instrumental to receive the support of Mr. Hector Timerman, the Minister of Foreign Affairs from Argentina, who noted in a letter on March 9th to the Mayor of Hiroshima that Argentina will participate in a Special Disarmament Conference as proposed by Mayors for Peace.

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Baltimore, June 20th 2011 - The US Conference of Mayors today unanimously adopted a resolution calling on President Obama to work with the leaders of the other nuclear weapon states to implement the United Nations Secretary-General's 5-point plan to negotiate the elimination of nuclear weapons, by the year 2020, as urged by Mayors for Peace.

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Question: Is it possible to push Mayors for Peace membership over the 5000 threshold by August 6^th?  The answer from the 2020 Vision Campaign Board of Directors June 9^th meeting: YES!  A major motivation is the desire to provide media coverage of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki commemoration with an additional news hook.  The message to the world will be “Cities are not targets!  Abolish nuclear weapons!”

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Brasilia, June 16th 2011 - Mayors for Peace published the first newsletter for Brazil aiming to bring its activities and information closer to Brazilian Mayors. The publication was produced with the FNP (Frente Nacional de Prefeitos) and ABM (Associação Brasileira de Municípios), two major associations of local governments in Brazil. The first publication reports the developments achieved so far in Brazil, as well as other relevant events about the international network. The FNP gathers the almost 200 largest cities of Brazil, while ABM brings together almost 3,500 smaller Brazilian municipalities.

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The Mayors for Peace 2020 Vision Campaign Association has appointed Mr. Jorge Núñez Alba as a 2020 Vision Campaigner in Mexico and Mr. Samil Yaciner as a 2020 Vision Campaigner in Turkey.

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Bogota, May 20^th, 2011 - Today Mayors for Peace signed an agreement of co-operation with the Federacion Colombiana de Municipios (FCM). FCM commits to support the 2020 Vision Campaign, while Mayors for Peace commits to promote the work of the Colombian network of Municipalities for Peace, a network part of the FCM.

The agreement was celebrated at the headquarters of the FCM in Bogota during a moving signing ceremony with the staff of the association. The ceremony was reported on the national television of Colombia.

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Lima (Peru), May 19th 2011 - Mayors for Peace signed an agreement of co-operation with the Federación de Municipios Libres de Perú (FEMULP) during their VI National Meeting of Municipalities on May 18th in Lima, Peru. On the following day FEMULP organized several events at City halls near the capital, while there was also a meeting with representatives at the City Hall of Lima where progress was made for Peru's capital to join Mayors for Peace.

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UNITED NATIONS, Geneva, May 17th 2011 - Mayors for Peace warns diplomats about the catastrophic climatological and humanitarian consequences of nuclear weapons, according to latest scientific evidence, during a one-day seminar in Geneva.

On 17 May, Mayors for Peace hosted a seminar entitled “Ecological and Humanitarian Consequences of Nuclear Warfare” in Geneva, Switzerland, for government delegates to the UN’s Conference on Disarmament. 

Presentations by leading scientists highlighted the alarming evidence for catastrophic consequences of even limited nuclear warfare on the climate, food production, human nutrition, and global security. Discussion emphasised the need for research to further elaborate the extent of such catastrophes and for increased awareness among governmental officials and the general public.

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The mayors of the world’s two atom-bombed cities, Hiroshima and Nagasaki, met Tuesday in Nagasaki and agreed to continue their efforts to realize a world free from nuclear weapons.

Mr. Kazumi Matsui (picture) was elected mayor of Hiroshima for the first time in the April 10 mayoral election, and has assumed the Presidency of the international network of Mayors for Peace.

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According to a Kyodo News report some 700 peace activists left Tokyo on Friday for their annual walk to Hiroshima. The marchers plan to reach the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park on Aug 4, two days ahead of the anniversary of the 1945 atomic bombing of the city.

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Brasilia, April 7th 2011 - The Frente Nacional de Prefeitos (FNP) invited Mayors for Peace to the Brazilian capital for their 59th General Meeting. Nearly 100 Brazilian Mayors elected the new FNP board. The new FNP Board was welcomed by President Dilma Rousseff.

Mayors for Peace had also the opportunity to discuss future co-operation with the Associação Brasileira de Municípios (ABM) and the Confederação Nacional de Municípios (CNM).  The proposal to increase Mayors for Peace membership up to one thousand Brazilian Mayors before the end of 2011 has been welcomed by both the FNP and ABM.

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The Nuclear Free Local Authorities (NFLA) organized a packed All-Ireland Forum addressing the nuclear disasters in Fukushima and Chernobyl, as well as the total elimination of nuclear weapons. The NFLA is a local government association based in the City Hall of Manchester (UK), a long-time Mayors for Peace Vice-President City. The NFLA campaigns against both military and civilian nuclear hazards. A presentation by representatives from the 2020 Vision Campaign International Secretariat was welcomed by the audience.  Ireland, which is not member of NATO, has played a historic role to advance the establishment of a nuclear weapon free world.

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Mayors for Peace announced today that 140 new member cities have joined during the month of March 2011. This is the largest monthly growth ever recorded since the association was founded in 1982.

Today Mayors for Peace counts 4,680 local governments in its growing network present in 150 countries and regions. The network, Presided by Hiroshima Mayor Dr. Tadatoshi Akiba, campaigns for the total elimination of nuclear weapons by 2020. The enormous growth of the network is explained by hundreds of population centres being targets and threatened with nuclear annihilation.

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In front of a packed audience of government officials, NGO representatives and media, Mayors for Peace presented the petition, which calls on the leaders of all nation states to “free innocent children and global citizens from the threat of nuclear weapons” by starting immediate negotiations for a nuclear-weapon-free world.

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Mayors for Peace’s Representative to the UN Office in Geneva urged diplomats to negotiate legally binding negative security assurances (NSAs) with a view to achieving total nuclear disarmament.

During the historic meeting with NGO representatives, which was chaired by Canadian Ambassador Marius Grinius, Mayors for Peace representative Esteban Ramirez-Gonzalez, reaffirmed the view of over 4,500 mayors from around the world, that “Cities are not targets” and reminded diplomats that “nuclear-armed states have the responsibility of providing legal protection against the effects, both direct and indirect, of potential nuclear confrontation.”

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On February 10, Orlando, Florida joined Mayors for Peace with a moving public ceremony at City Hall.  The signing ceremony was a high point of the 7th Annual Orlando Latin American Film & Heritage Festival (OLA Fest). Opening the ceremony, OLA Festival organizer Nelson Betancourt, described it as a “sacred occasion.”

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Dakar (Senegal) -  Mayors for Peace received the unanimous support of the FAL Network (Forum of Local Authorities for Social Inclusion and Participatory Democracy) in the final declaration of the IX Assembly meeting in Dakar, Senegal on February 8th, 2011. The meeting of the FAL Network coincides with the World Social Forum.

The fundamental aim of FAL is to turn cities into important actors in the process of globalization. Mayors for Peace is also gaining increasing support from Mayors across Senegal.

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In January, the 2020 Vision Campaign Secretariat in Ypres was lucky enough to receive a visit from Wolfgang and Brigitte Schlupp-Wick, a German couple who recently undertook a six month international cycle tour to campaign against nuclear weapons.

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