Local government representatives from 9 European cities and urban territories (Granollers, Barcelona Province, Biograd na Moru, Brescia, Cervia, Hannover, Ieper, Malakoff and Manchester) took part in the first Meeting of States Parties to the TPNW from 20 to 22 June along the Mayors for Peace leadership from Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
The crucial “1MSP” meeting held at Vienna’s UN seat gave a historical follow-up to the international agenda for nuclear disarmament built around the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). The event brought together States and local authorities, civil society and experts, to define a comprehensive roadmap for the elimination of nuclear weapons, reflected in the 1MSP Declaration and Action Plan
[ Know more about the 1MSP Declaration and Action Plan ]
Throughout the event, our Mayors for Peace delegation highlighted the role of cities and local authorities in advancing nuclear disarmament and a more peaceful world. Mayors for Peace participants developed an active engagement and reflection agenda, which will inspire our network’s action plan for the coming period.
« As chair of the Mayors for Peace European Chapter, Granollers will continue to mobilize European local governments not only to advance the elimination of nuclear weapons, but to renew the municipal narrative on peace. We aim to collectively address the links between peace and security in Europe and to build alliances with more local governments and their networks to bring forward this vision »
Alba Barnusell, Mayor of Granollers (Catalonia, Spain) and Chair of the Mayors for Peace European Chapter and Catalan Chapter
« There has never been a time in recent years when it has been more incumbent upon us to speak out against aggression, to speak up for peace and to recall that all weapons of mass distruction are immoral and repugnant. We, the cities, must show the way for nations to work cooperatively to address issues of common concern, rather than resorting to conflict »
Eddy Newman, Councillor of Manchester (United Kingdom), Vice-Chair of the Mayors for Peace European Chapter and representative of the NFLA – Nuclear Free Local Authorities
« French municipalities in the AFCDRP are increasingly building partnerships with national parlamentarians and other city networks to be more influential and raise further awareness on the nuclear disarmament and culture of peace agendas. Our message is simple yet powerful: Building peace means caring for our planet, our lives and those of future generations »
Fatiha Alaudat, Deputy Mayor of Malakoff (France) and representative of the AFCDRP – Mayors for Peace French Chapter
« In order to strenghten our advocacy efforts and get more supports for the TPNW we must work together to mobilize more cities in more countries across Europe. Our members should take an active role in this effort, looking into their sister city agreements to get a wider coalition of supports for advocacy campaigns »
Thomas Hermann, Deputy Mayor of Hannover (Germany) and representative of the Mayors for Peace German Chapter
« Municipalism promotes systemic transformations. It seeks to become an active stakeholder in national and global debates on peace, while it also works to empower citizens to actively engage with the peace agenda: to be drivers of change and build alternatives from the local level »
Pilar Díaz, Mayor of Esplugues de Llobregat and chair of international relations at the Barcelona Provincial Council (Catalonia, Spain)
« Cities are diverse and heterogeneous in their nature: we are places of encounter that build conviviality and a culture of peace through civic pedagogy. Municipal politics show how caring for the good of humanity is not separated from caring for the good of citizens and local communities »
Roberto Cammarata, President of the Municipal Council of Brescia (Italy)
« International cooperation brought Croatian and Japanese cities closer to each other through historical memory and peace reconstruction. In spite of being a small city, our city managed to sustain an active engagement agenda on these issues at a national and international levels »
Jasminka Bajlo, International Relations Officer of Biograd na Moru (Croatia) and representative of the Mayors for Peace Croatian Chapter
« Our network’s agenda understand peace from multiple perspectives which are all very close to European local authorities: poverty and inequality, racism and hate speech. Working together with old and new allies, we should reinforce our narrative on these key issues for peace in Europe »
Filip Deheegher, International Relations Officer of Ieper (Belgium) and representative of the Mayors for Peace Belgian Chapter
« Cervia promotes an active agenda on peace and nuclear disarmament at the local level. We do so by promoting advocacy, awareness raising and political dialogue initiatives with civil society from across our region. We look forward to seeing Italy joining the group of states which are members of the TPNW»
Lisa Clark, representative of the city of Cervia (Italy) and representative of the Mayors for Peace Italian Chapter
