New coalition of War Scourged Cities announced by Volgograd
November 13, 2008
On the 12th November, Alexander Davydenko, the First Vice-Mayor of Volgograd (formerly Stalingrad and Vice-President City of Mayors for Peace) addressed a symposium hosted by Brussels City Hall - "Perspectives on Nuclear Disarmament 2010/2020". In his speech he expressed his city's decision to co-chair, along with Hiroshima and Ypres, a special advisory group of War-Scourged Cities to be launched by the 2020 Vision Campaign in the near future. All cities which have experienced the scourge of war in the last 100 years are invited to join and push for the international community to finally learn from its mistakes of the past.
On the 23rd of August 1942, over one thousand tons of explosives were dropped on the city in the first “carpet bombardment” ever used in the history of war, as the optimal way of maximising damages. The civilian death toll of the Battle of Stalingrad was more than 350,000 people.
In his address Mr. Davydenko drew on the tragic experience of his own city to call for united action among the cities of the world and support for the Mayors for Peace "Cities Are Not Targets!" initiative:
"Ypres, Gernika, Coventry, Stalingrad, Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Tskhinval – this tragic list should be stopped. Cities need to have a mechanism for responding to major and minor violations of cities. We are aiming to do better through the “Cities Are Not Targets!” project. We have received the endorsement of United Cities and Local Governments, the collective representation of cities with the United Nations. We need to be able to help cities that have become victims...
In our city there is not a single family that did not lose someone during the battle and the war. We understand what is war and what is suffering. That is why we always have and always will fight for peace. That is why we are the Vice President city of Mayors for Peace."
Pictured: Alexander Davydenko and Elena Vasilevskaya, the delegation from Volgograd at the General Meeting of Mayors for Peace, 10th November 2008, Ypres.
In his address Mr. Davydenko drew on the tragic experience of his own city to call for united action among the cities of the world and support for the Mayors for Peace "Cities Are Not Targets!" initiative:
"Ypres, Gernika, Coventry, Stalingrad, Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Tskhinval – this tragic list should be stopped. Cities need to have a mechanism for responding to major and minor violations of cities. We are aiming to do better through the “Cities Are Not Targets!” project. We have received the endorsement of United Cities and Local Governments, the collective representation of cities with the United Nations. We need to be able to help cities that have become victims...
In our city there is not a single family that did not lose someone during the battle and the war. We understand what is war and what is suffering. That is why we always have and always will fight for peace. That is why we are the Vice President city of Mayors for Peace."
Pictured: Alexander Davydenko and Elena Vasilevskaya, the delegation from Volgograd at the General Meeting of Mayors for Peace, 10th November 2008, Ypres.
