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The Fifth Executive Conference
held on September 1 and 2 of 2000 in Hannover, Germany,
discussed ways of fortifying the activities of the Mayors
Conference, the Resolution to Promote the Abolition of Nuclear
Weapons and so on.
After the Executive Conference, we sent letters of the Resolution
to Promote the Abolition of Nuclear Weapons to the governments
of Nuclear Powers and international organizations.
Strengthening the Activities of the
Mayors Conference
The World Conference of Mayors for Peace through Inter-city
Solidarity was founded in 1982. Almost 20 years have passed
since the Conference was founded. The Cold War has ended,
the international climate has changed dramatically, and
the needs of our member cities have also changed. In light
of these changes, we must strengthen our activities to make
the 21st century a peaceful one free of nuclear weapons.
To strengthen the activities of the Mayors Conference, we
must adopt an overall Action Plan that incorporates effective
new activities. Currently, the secretariat is deciding the
Action Plan. We are going to implement this plan in the
future after referral to and approval by the 5th General
Conference in August 2001.
At the 5th Executive Conference, the measures to be immediately
implemented under presidential authority were discussed
and approved as follows:。
1. Increase members in NWS and suspected
states
Since fiscal 1997, we have emphasized membership invitations
to major cities in nuclear weapon states and suspect states.
These efforts have resulted in an addition to our membership
of 43 cities in such states (from 80 to 123). We will continue
to bolster membership calls to cities in nuclear weapon
states and suspect states.
2. Cultivate leader cities in nuclear
weapons states and suspect states
It is essential to cultivate leader cities in nuclear-weapon
states and suspect states. It is especially urgent to develop
a leader city in the U.S., which is, after all, the key
to nuclear disarmament. We intend to work swiftly on this
issue.
3. Strengthen protest and demand activities
On the occasion of the NPT Review Conference in spring of
2000, we gathered messages from member cities and sent them
to various national governments. We found this tactic quite
effective. In the future, we want to pursue similar actions
for all international disarmament conferences sponsored
by the UN or other international organizations.
4. Obtain sponsors and additional
project funds
One of the critical issues in developing new Mayors Conference
activities is finding the additional project funds. We are
now gathering sponsor-related information, and as soon as
we have gathered and digested it, we plan to launch a search
for sponsors.
5. Establish a rapid information exchange
system
In an effort to improve the quality and quantity of information
communicated by the Secretariat, we are organizing a number
of mailing lists.
6. Recommendations for abolishing
nuclear weapons
City governments are the governments closest to the people
and the most likely to reflect true public opinion. Therefore,
we, as cities, should make clear recommendations regarding
measures to be taken by national governments and international
institutions for the abolition of nuclear weapons.
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