Mayors for Peace delegations visit Manchester in February

February, 2024[Manchester, United Kingdom]

Report by Mr. Richard Outram, UK and Ireland Mayors for Peace Chapter Secretary

In February, Manchester hosted two important visits from dignitaries from Norway and Japan.

On the 20th February, we welcomed Deputy Mayor Ahmed Lindov and former Mayor Svein Are Jerstad from Kvinesdal. The Norwegian delegates met with the Lord Mayor of Manchester Councillor Yasmine Dar for an energised discussion before meeting with officers from agencies in the city working to combat youth crime.

In late October, Manchester will host the next Mayors for Peace Executive Conference. In advance of this important event, on the 27th February, we were honoured to greet the Secretary General of the Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation, Takehiro Kagawa, to discuss arrangements.

Mr. Kagawa also met with the Lord Mayor, and with the Honorary Consul of Japan in Manchester, Ms. Jo Ahmed. Later, Mr. Kagawa met with academics at the University of Manchester to talk about student exchanges and establishing links with universities in Hiroshima. They also visited the peace exhibition in the Manchester Museum and the university building in which the atom was first split.

Both delegations also received briefings from the Manchester’s Permanent Representative to Mayors for Peace, Councillor Tommy Judge, and the UK/Ireland Chapter Secretary, Richard Outram, on our work.

Kvinesdale Delegation
with Secretary General Kagawa

Photos: courtesy of the City of Manchester