Secretary-General meets Japanese survivors of atomic bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. (Archive)) UN chief congratulates Japanese organization that won Nobel Peace Prize Peace and Security
Nuclear weapons remain a real threat to humanity, and references to them are once again heard in the daily rhetoric of international relations, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said. He congratulated the Japanese organization Nihon Hidankyo, which won the Nobel Peace Prize.
Nihon Hidankyo is a movement of survivors of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, known as hibakusha. The UN chief called them “selfless” and “heartfelt” witnesses to the horrific human toll of nuclear weapons.
“Although their numbers are diminishing every year, the hibakusha’s tireless work and resilience are the backbone of the global movement for nuclear disarmament,” the secretary-general said.
Guterres has met with survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on several occasions. The hibakusha’s testimonies remind the world that the nuclear threat is not limited to history books and remains real today, the UN chief said.
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“It is time for world leaders to be as insightful as the hibakusha and see nuclear weapons for what they are: weapons of death that offer no safety or security,” the Secretary-General said.
The only way to eliminate the threat of nuclear weapons is to eliminate them completely,” he added.
Guterres stressed that the United Nations proudly supports the hibakusha. “They are an inspiration to our common efforts to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons,” the UN chief concluded.