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The 8th Executive Conference of Mayors for Peace and the Opening Ceremony of an Exhibition about the Atomic Bombings and Disarmament in the United Nations Office at Geneva
Participants of the 8th Executive Conference The 8th Executive Conference of Mayors for Peace was held in Granollers, Spain. During the two-day conference on November 9 and 10, participants discussed various issues, such as the future activities of Mayors for Peace and the 2013 General Conference in Hiroshima. They also had a candid discussion about future management policies. The General and Board of Directors Meeting of the 2020 Vision Campaign Association was held in conjunction with the 8th Executive Conference of Mayors for Peace in Granollers, Spain and discussed the future plans of the 2020 Vision Campaign. On November 11, the mayors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki attended the opening ceremony for an exhibition about the atomic bombings and disarmament titled “Toward a World Free of Nuclear Weapons” in the United Nations Office at Geneva, Switzerland and each mayor gave a speech at a public discussion. The Mayors for Peace delegation also had meetings with the United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG), the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the Geneva Centre for Security Policy (GCSP) and so on, and asked them for cooperation in the activities of Mayors for Peace. [Major Activities]
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| Nov. 8 (Tue) | |
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City tour of war-damaged sites in Granollers
The City of Granollers experienced air raids during the Spanish Civil War. Guided by Mayor Josep Mayoral of Granollers, Mayor Matsui of Hiroshima, Mayor Taue of Nagasaki and other participants for the Executive Conference visited battle sites in Granollers. 
During the tour, the plates engraved the peace symbol of Granollers city and the date of the air raid were found everywhere that demonstrating the city’s enthusiasm trying to pass on the war experience to the future. |
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The General and Board of Directors Meeting of the 2020 Vision Campaign Association
The 2020 Vision Campaign Association Secretariat reported activities in 2010 with regard to strengthening the organization, establishing cooperative relationships with municipal organizations such as the United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG), fund raising and cooperating with international NGOs. Discussion on future development of the campaign such as attempts to establish cooperative relationships with the United Nations, Parliamentarians for Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament (PNND), and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) were also made and these plans were approved. |
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Meeting with Prof. Federico Mayor Zaragoza, former Director-General of UNESCO / current President of the Foundation for a Culture of Peace
The meeting was held with the wishes of Professor Mayor who believes that cooperation of the mayors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki is essential to achieve a peaceful world and would like to convey their desires for peace. During the meeting, Mayor Matsui stated “The realization of the ultimate elimination of nuclear weapons will not be achieved by one. It is crucial to share those spirits with many other people,” and asked Professor Mayor further corporation in the activities of Mayors for Peace. |
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Exchange event with Granollers citizens “Dialogues for Peace”
An exchange event with attendance of fifty Granollers citizens entitled "Dialogues for Peace" was held at Can Jonch, Cultural Center for Peace. In his speech, Mayor Matsui stated that the citizens of Hiroshima suffered from the pain, had lived from day to day with remembering the voices and thoughts of the A-bomb victims, and eventually revived the city of Hiroshima. He also mentioned that Granollers had suffered with war damages as well, and called for continued support and act together upon the initiative of Mayors for Peace, aiming at the realization of the elimination of nuclear weapons by 2020 and lasting world peace. Thereafter, NGOs such as Amnesty International introduced the efforts of each organization. Some comments were stated from the audience such as "it is important to have broad-mindedness toward different races" and "justice is necessary for the realization of world peace." |
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Courtesy Call on the Mayor of Granollers
Mayor Matsui visited the Granollers City Hall and registered the visitor’s book stating that “After stepping on the land of Granollers, I realized that there is no difference in the thought of the citizen who desire peace. We would like to attain the total abolition of nuclear weapons and the realization of lasting world peace by practicing 'learning a lesson from the past'”. Then, he expressed gratitude to the Mayor of Granollers for hosting this Executive Conference and a heart-warming reception. |
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Official welcome reception by the mayor of Granollers
In his speech, Mayor Matsui said, "After I came to Granollers, I once more realized that by having a vision, dialogue and working on it, we could accomplish total abolition of nuclear weapons," then, interacted with other participants. Additionally, 3,000 Euro (about 320,000 yen), earnings of a charity concert were donated by the city of Villaseca, Spain to the 2020 Vision Campaign Association at this reception. |
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Mayors for Peace Secretariat 1-5 Nakajima-cho, Naka-ku, Hiroshima 730-0811 JAPAN TEL:+81-82-242-7821 FAX:+81-82-242-7452 e-mail:mayorcon@pcf.city.hiroshima.jp |
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