“Make Nagasaki the last wartime atomic bombing site.” With these words, Mayor Suzuki from Nagasaki ended his speech at the second session of the Preparatory Committee for the Eleventh Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons which took place from July 22 to August 2 2024, at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland.

Mayors from Hiroshima and Nagasaki were accompanied by a delegation of Mayors for Peace Europe, Malakoff (France), Biograd Na Moru (Croatia), Granollers (Spain), the executive consultant from the United States, and a delegation from Muntinlupa (Philippines).

The Chairman of this session, Ambassador Akan Rakhametullin from Kazakhstan, expressed his concern for the erosion of many international security arrangements and for the deadlock of the NPT Conference. He concluded that “the most pressing issues facing the NPT are the lack of tangible progress in disarmament and increasing pressure on the global non-proliferation regime,” and reminded us that the NPT remains the universal instrument in the field of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation.

The message from the group of 50 States and the European Union, delivered by Ukraine, condemned Russia’s irresponsible and threatening nuclear rhetoric as well as its posture of strategic intimidation, including its announced deployment of nuclear weapons in Belarus. The group called on the States Party to use the relevant international legal instruments to strengthen international cooperation in case of a radiological emergency.

Some of the recommendations given by NGOs, present at the NPT Conference, included deliberations on the legal, technical, and institutional measures to reduce nuclear weapons stockpiles, the risks and impacts of any nuclear weapons use, and the humanitarian consequences of nuclear weapons. It was also recommended to adopt a concrete plan with benchmarks, timelines, and measurable goals to implement the measures taken at the 11th NPT Review Conference and commit to a timeframe of no later than 2030 for the adoption of a framework, package of agreements, or comprehensive nuclear weapons convention.

Besides the participation at the NPT conference, the MfP delegations met on July 24 in order to present an update of the activities and the work that has been conducted during the last twelve months, as well as the activities that are planned until the end of the year.