Report by Ms. Lorena Schlicht, Mayors for Peace France (AFCDRP)
A delegation of elected officials from Mayors for Peace France met with a representative delegation from the Japanese association Hidankyo, Nobel Peace Prize laureates of 2024, led by its Vice President, Shigemitsu Tanaka, Nobel Prize recipient in Oslo. The Peace Movement and the CGT Confederation, with the support of the National Collective for Peace Marches, organized the reception of the delegation at the CGT headquarters in Montreuil on Thursday, January 23, 2025.
This gathering, chaired by Sophie Binet, General Secretary of the CGT, began with speeches at the podium from Boris Plazzi, head of international relations at the CGT; Mr. Shigemitsu Tanaka, representative of the Nobel Peace Prize; Yayoi Tsuchida from Gensuikyo; Mr. Ishikawa, Vice President of the National Confederation of Trade Unions and Roland Nivet, national spokesperson for the Peace Movement. Sylvain Goldstein, head of the Asia sector at the CGT, was also present.
There were also speeches from representatives of NGOs that have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, namely the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW, 1985), Pugwash (scientists’ association, 1995), and ICAN (2027).
On the morning of Friday, January 24, a working meeting took place at the National Assembly with the Nihon Hidankyo delegation and about ten parliamentarians, initiated by MP Jean-Paul Lecoq, author of a report on nuclear disarmament in Parliament. Around forty people attended, including activists, parliamentary attachés, and local mayors and elected officials from Mayors for Peace France (Grigny, Malakoff, Vitry-sur-Seine, etc.), reaffirming their support for nuclear disarmament.
Photos: courtesy of Mayors for Peace France