The flag of the Global Peace Alliance has been flying in front of the town hall in Salzgitter since the beginning of the war in Ukraine. It will continue to fly. Because the nuclear threat is more present than it has been for a long time.
Against this backdrop, the first Conference of the States Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons took place in Vienna from June 21 to 23. The treaty entered into force on January 22, 2021. Germany took part in the UN conference as an observer. Mayors for Peace was also represented by numerous delegates. Hibakusha - survivors of the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki - reported on the unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe caused by the use of these weapons of mass destruction.
The Mayors for Peace point out that "nuclear weapons have the potential to destroy all life on this planet. Peace researchers currently even see signs of a new nuclear arms race. More than 12,700 nuclear weapons currently threaten humanity."
He continues: "As Mayors for Peace, we are therefore joining over 500 cities in Germany in sending a clear signal against nuclear armament on Flag Day. We support the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons."
On Flag Day, the Mayors for Peace recall a legal opinion issued by the International Court of Justice in The Hague on July 8, 1996, which found that the threat of use and the use of nuclear weapons generally violate international law. The Court also stated that there is an obligation under international law "to conduct and conclude negotiations in good faith leading to nuclear disarmament in all its aspects under strict and effective international control."
The Mayors for Peace organization was founded in 1982 by the mayor of Hiroshima. The global network is primarily committed to the abolition of nuclear weapons, but also addresses current issues in order to discuss ways of peaceful coexistence. More than 8,170 cities belong to the network, including more than 830 cities in Germany. Around 500 cities in Germany are taking part in Flag Day this year.