Japan’s ambassador to the Conference on Disarmament has delivered a statement on behalf of 116 countries and regions calling for practical measures to promote education on disarmament and non-proliferation.
Ichikawa Tomiko presented the statement at the Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons on Thursday. The NPT conference is currently underway at the United Nations in New York.
The statement says that “the invaluable testimonies of those who experienced and witnessed the devastation caused by nuclear explosions and its aftermath have played an indispensable role” in disarmament and non-proliferation education.
It stresses the importance of passing on these testimonies, noting that “with time, it is becoming more and more difficult to have the opportunity to hear firsthand accounts of those who experienced, witnessed and were embroiled in such devastation.”
The statement commends “visits to affected sites and engagement with them by political, senior, mid-career and young leaders as well as youth delegations.”
Similar joint statements were issued at previous NPT review conferences. The number of countries and regions that joined this year’s statement nearly tripled from 42 in 2010 to a record 116. But Russia, the United States, China and France did not participate this time.