The 10th Executive Conference of Mayors for Peace held

Apil. 26, 2018 [Geneva, Switzerland]
The 10th Executive Conference of Mayors for Peace

The 10th Mayors for Peace Executive Conference was held in Geneva, Switzerland.

Representatives of 10 Executive Cities took the opportunity to discuss strategies to promote the Mayors for Peace Action Plan adopted at last year’s General Conference and also exchange views on strengthening of activities led by Lead Cities and expanding Mayors for Peace membership.

1 Date
Apr. 26 (Thur), 2018
2 Venue
Geneva, Switzerland
3 Participating
    
Cities
10 Cities
City (From oldest to newest) Representative
President Hiroshima (Japan) Mr. Kazumi Matsui (Mayor)
Vice Presidents Nagasaki (Japan) Mr. Tomihisa Taue (Mayor)
Malakoff (France) Ms. Fatiha Alaudat (Deputy Mayor)
Muntinlupa (Philippines) Mr. Jaime R. Fresnedi (Mayor)
Manchester (UK) Mr. Eddy Newman (Lord Mayor)
Ypres (Belgium) Mr. Jan Durnez (Mayor)
Biograd na Moru (Croatia) Mr. Ivan Knez (Mayor)
Granollers (Spain) Mr. Josep Mayoral (Mayor)
Frogn (Norway) Mr. Thore Vestby (Honorary Mayor)
Executive Montreal (Canada) Ms. Rosannie Filato (City Councilor)


Ms. Jacqueline Cabasso, Executive Advisor of Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation

4 Meeting
    
Outline




  1.  (1) Exchange of views
  2.    A Promotion of the Mayors for Peace Action Plan (2017-2020)
  3.     a Expanding membership
  4. Manchester: Important point in relation to expanding membership: we have mayors who would not be in favour of unilateral disarmament, but we specify we are working for a nuclear free world and therefore on multilateral disarmament. We have to make it clear that our aim is a nuclear free world. Safe and resilient cities are also a good way to get new members.
  5. Granollers: 2017 was a good year regarding the membership in Spain, with the increase of about 100 members. We have been working with 2 main roles: establish a strong chapter for municipalities and civil society in Spain and work with Mediterranean partners. We are also discussing an alliance with France with the aim to work on peace issues around the Mediterranean.
  6. Biograd na Moru: In Croatia, membership stopped growing at 32. We have been working with Malakoff and Granollers regarding a new plan to create the Central and East European Chapter. Could be a way of expanding our membership.
  7. Secretariat: It is important to have more members get actively involved in Mayors for Peace. When we work on nuclear-armed states, we try to highlight the humanitarian global message of Hibakusha that “no one else should ever suffer as we have”. It makes it easier for these countries to accept our cause if we start with this message. Each city has its own way of promoting peace. Currently, we ask our Lead Cities to oversee Mayors for Peace activities of the country they belong to. We believe it realistic and effective for them to begin with their own country and then start their outreach to neighbouring cities outside their country.
  8. Ypres: In Belgium, we’ve had 70% of mayors join Mayors for Peace, but there is a gap in their activeness between the north and the south. We will have a local election in Belgium next year and it is going to be a good opportunity to talk about Mayors for Peace.

  9.     b Encouraging the next generation to actively promote peace
  10. Muntinlupa: In our city, peace education will be included in the curriculum in secondary education. This will be our city’s initiative and hopefully it will be followed by other cities.
  11. Biograd na Moru: Croatia has experienced war, but we do not fully recognize the nuclear weapons problem, and we need to educate people on this theme. Starting with elementary school students, we are bringing some new projects for the people, such as making paper cranes and organizing A-Bomb exhibitions.
  12. Manchester: In Manchester, we will talk about nuclear weapons and peace in education. We also have various partnerships in this field, working with a peace organisation who promotes leadership skills for the promotion of peace, and also with an organization in Sheffield on conflict resolution. Manchester city is preparing a practical guide about peace education.
  13. Frogn: It would be nice to circulate a curriculum about peace education if anyone has one.
  14. Montreal: Regarding the involvement of youth, we need to go to them; we can’t expect them to come to us. We need to explain to them why we need peace. And we need to listen and then implement their recommendations. We work with a university in Quebec on a curriculum and on an exhibition about Hiroshima in the botanical garden in Montreal where there are many visitors, including families and children.
  15. Ypres: We will hold an exhibition on Hiroshima and work with students on this topic.
  16. Malakoff: We try to work with the National Education Department on peace education. We send young people abroad, and when they come back from their trips, they organize an exhibition about their trip in public spaces. We also support pupils of the music conservatory in holding concerts, which contributes to raising awareness among the public. We also work with an association from Senegal on decentralized cooperation, in which we promote values of intercultural understanding and tolerance through exchanges of letters.
  17. Hiroshima: We hope that the Lead Cities will take initiatives in promoting peace education for young people. I wonder if it is possible to create some kind of system at the local level where young people gather and learn about history and peace. Hiroshima and Nagasaki can provide information and materials, such as Hibakushas’ stories. We look forward to seeing active involvement of our Lead Cities in promoting regional activities, as proposed in our current Action Plan.
  18. Secretariat: We are impressed to hear all your initiatives. Please continue to share with us reports of your activities with pictures so we can spread good practices to members around the world.

  19.     c Other comments
  20. Frogn: Our position might look a little weird from the outside. The Nobel Peace Prize has been given to ICAN in Norway and the majority of our parliament is in favour of the ban treaty, but our government is against it.
  21. Manchester: In the UK, while we have a strong democratic culture, the subject of nuclear weapons divides political parties and there is no consensus. We are working very close with ICAN.
  22. Secretariat: If you need any information or materials when conducting petition campaigns in your region, do not hesitate to consult with our Secretariat.

  23.    B Promotion of the Key Objective “Realization of safe and resilient cities”
  24.      [ Introduction of initiatives by 4 selected Lead Cities ]
  25. Granollers: Initiative on “World Forum on Urban Violence and Education for Coexistence and Peace 2018”
  26. Montreal: Initiative on “Inclusion of Affordable Housing that Works BINAM Liaison Officers Project”
  27. Muntinlupa: Initiative on “Addressing Poverty and Starvation”
  28. Manchester: Initiative on “Manchester Climate Change Strategy 2017-2050”

  29.      [ Exchange of views ]
  30. Secretariat: In promoting our objective “Realization of safe and resilient cities”, we respect each region’s initiatives that address their own priorities while we promote our collective efforts to build a foundation for the “Realization of a world without nuclear weapons”. The Sustainable Development Goals set out by the UN focus on the realization of peace, so promoting these goals is fully within the scope of activities of Mayors for Peace.
  31. Frogn: The Norwegian government is actively working on the issue of the climate change, so it is good to include the SDGs in our agendas as it makes it easier for us to promote the cause of Mayors for Peace. Addressing the issue of famine will contribute to reducing wars and conflicts, so it is also good to have it on our agenda.
  32. Manchester: We had terrorist attacks last May. As we support the victims, we have also noted the importance to support the creation of a united city. Cities and towns are supposed to be places where we can be safe and resilient.
  33. Hiroshima: As mayors, we bear the responsibility of protecting the safety and peaceful lives of our cities. We would like our Lead Cities to work with other cities facing similar problems in trying to find solutions together. It is our hope that while tacking these regional issues, you can also work on the global issue of nuclear disarmament.
  34. Nagasaki: When we draw up the post-2020 Vision, I would like to propose including the importance of peace education for young generations which hightlights the need to educate youth about accepting diversity and solving clashes of opinions without armed conflicts. It would be good to encourage young people to think and act proactively.

  35.  (2) Reports
  36.    A The 11th Executive Conference of Mayors for Peace
  37. The Secretariat made an announcement of the planned schedule and venue of the next Executive Conference.
  38.     a Time: Around November 2019
  39.     b Place: Hannover, Germany

  40.    B Schedule for the Formulation of a post-2020 Vision
  41.      The Secretariat made an announcement of the planned schedule for the formulation.
  42.     a Official launch
  43.       August 2020 To be approved at the 10th General Conference of Mayors for Peace
  44.     b Discussion process
  45.       Latter half of 2018      Exchange of views via Skype, etc.
  46.       Around April 2019      Meeting for an exchange of views during the 3rd Session of the Preparatory Committee for the 2020 NPT Review Conference
  47.           |       Exchange of views via Skype, etc.
  48.       Around November 2019 The 11th Executive Conference of Mayors for Peace
  49.       Around April 2020      Meeting for an exchange of views during the 2020 NPT Review Conference
  50.       Until April 2020     Finalizing the proposal through an exchange of views via Skype, etc.

  51.    C European Mayors for Peace Development
  52.  Manchester made a summary of the European Executive Members Meeting held the day before regarding the establishment of a European Chapter of Mayors for Peace.
  53. Manchester: With the support of the Mayors for Peace Secretariat, some of the European executive members have been working on the establishment of the European Chapter. Yesterday we agreed on relevant actions we could undertake: commemoration of Hiroshima and Nagasaki Days; International Peace Day; collaboration among cities with an interest in climate change; collaboration with UCLG; support Hannover’s art project on peace; and a strong focus on peace education. These actions will hopefully contribute to expanding European membership.
  54. Secretariat: We believe that the initiatives, including working with cities interested in the climate change and designating a liaison city in collaborating with UCLG and other associations of local authorities, are of particular interest to members in your regions and can produce concrete outcomes. We appreciate and support the various efforts proposed to promote effective organization of European members of Mayors for Peace.
5 Others

Attendance at the Second Session of the Preparatory Committee for the 2020 NPT Review Conference in Geneva, Switzerland and Visit to France and Spain (April 2018)