99 new members bring total membership to 2,635 in 134 countries

January 6, 2009

Mayors for Peace recruited another 99 new member cities during December 2008. This brings the total to 2,635 member cities in 134 countries and regions. In 2008 Mayors for Peace welcomed 615 new member cities. This is an unexpected success as we had aimed at 365 new members for 2008, or an average of one member a day. We wish to thank all our supporters who have assisted us in the further growth of Mayors for Peace.
 
In December 2008 we welcomed new members from Belgium (9), Colombia (1), Israel (6), Italy (16), Japan (3), Nicaragua (32), Norway (1), Spain (16), Sri Lanka (12), UK (2) and USA (1). You find the full list of the 99 new members by clicking here

In Belgium a new surge of new members since October 2008 were the result of a cross-party letter by the Mayor of Brussels, Bastogne and Ypres. Today 323 Belgian mayors out of a total of 589 have joined the organisation. This means that almost 55% of all Belgian Mayors have now joined the network campaigning for total abolition of nuclear weapons by 2020. In the Belgian regions of Brussels and Flanders membership is already well over 75%. Philippe Collard, the Mayor of Bastogne, announced that he would spare no efforts to raise membership in Wallonia, the French speaking region of Belgium. Bastogne officially inaugurated the opening of a new regional secretariat for Wallonia of Mayors for Peace on November 9th 2008 in the presence of Hiroshima Mayor Dr. Tadatoshi Akiba.

We also welcomed 6 new members in Israel, including the Mayor of Dimona, following an invitation from Mayor Akiba send to all Israeli Mayors urging them to join Mayors for Peace. Here we should acknowledge the important work done by Greenpeace Israel who mailed a follow-up letter including a translation in Hebrew of the invitation of the Mayor of Hiroshima. Ms. Sharon Dolev from Greenpeace Israel declared to be very encouraged by the initial results, also considering that the first Mayors signing up their support are member of the right wing parties.

In Spain we continue to see an important growth with 16 new member cities following excellent work done by the Mayor of Granollers, a new Executive city of Mayors for Peace. Also the cross-party recruitment letter co-signed by the Mayor of Firenze and spread electronically by the Italian Association of Municipalities continued to involve new Italian Mayors.
 
With the Mayor of Envigado we also welcome the first member in Colombia. In Nicaragua membership climbed with 32 new members up to 72 members.