On February 14, a ceremony to commemorate the 53rd anniversary of the signing of the Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean, known as the Treaty of Tlatelolco was held. The event was hosted by the Congress of Mexico City together with the Government of Mexico City, the Cuauhtémoc City Hall, the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Agency for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean (OPANAL by the Spanish acronym).
The ceremony took place in the Theater of the Cultural Center “Ernesto Gómez Cruz”, located precisely in the neighborhood of Tlatelolco. Speakers included representatives of Mexico City Congress, Mexico City Government, Secretariat of OPANAL, Cuhauhtémoc City Government (one of the 16 boroughs of Mexico City which accommodates Tlatelolco) and the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who all stressed the importance of the Treaty of Tlatelolco, which established the world’s first nuclear-weapons-free-zone in a populated area.
Then, an award ceremony for a children’s drawing competition was held. Winners of the contest, who drew pictures on the theme “Imagine your city in peace and a world without nuclear weapons”, were invited to have their photo taken during the ceremony, follwed by a showing of a video message from Mr. Kazumi Matsui, Mayor of Hiroshima and President of Mayors for Peace. The ceremony was closed with the inauguration of an artistic installation by a Mexican artist named “Atomic Amnesia”.
A number of related events were also held from February 10 to February 21 to commemorate the Treaty’s anniversary.
(Photos Courtesy of Mexico City Congress)