Humanitarian Impact of Nuclear Weapons —From a Joint Statement to International Conferences In May 2012, sixteen nations proposed a joint statement in the NPT Preparatory Committee for the 2015 Review Conference: “It is of the utmost importance that these weapons never be used again, under any circumstances. The only way to guarantee this is the total, irreversible and verifiable elimination of nuclear weapons.” This joint statement was submitted to the UN General Assembly, and the number of approving nations increased at every meeting. Meanwhile, international conferences on the humanitarian impact of nuclear weapons still continue actively. The first was in Oslo, Norway, in March 2013, with 127 nations. The next was in Nayarit, Mexico, in February 2014, with 146 nations; then in December 2014, in Vienna, Austria, with 158 nations. In November 2017, when the international conference for nuclear disarmament was held at the Vatican for the first time, the hibakusha representative was invited to make a speech at the conference. Regarding nuclear weapons, Pope Francis stated: “The threat of their use, as well as their very possession, is to be firmly condemned.” The Conference in Oslo. Photograph courtesy of Peace Boat. Hibakusha speaking in the “Hibakusha Session” in the opening part of the second “Humanitarian Impact” conference held in Nayarit, Mexico. February 13, 2014. Photograph courtesy of Nihon Hidankyo. After delivering a speech, Ms. Masako Wada, Nagasaki survivor, received warm applause from participants at the conference at the Vatican, November 2017. Photograph by Hisanobu Ito. Courtesy of Newspaper Akahata.
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