On May 22-26, 2023, the “International Youth Conference for Peace in the Future” was held in Hannover (Lead City of Mayors for Peace in Germany) on the occasion of the 40th anniversary, with the twin city Hiroshima. In addition to Hanoverian young people, participants from the cities of Bangkok, Blantyre, Bristol, Leipzig, Rouen, Poznań and Hiroshima were invited.

The program included input from experts in peace and conflict research, interactive workshops and simulation games, as well as a discussion round in the City Hall, where the 30 participants asked Mayor Belit Onay and council members questions about peace work. Kenji Yamamoto from Hiroshima, author of the biography of an atomic bombing survivor, as well as the city superintendent Rainer Müller-Brandes and Wolfram Springer from YMCA Hannover, took part in the program as speakers. 

With these accumulated impressions and knowledge, the young participants worked on an appeal for peace. At the end of the conference, in the Aegidien Church, the appeal was presented publicly under the title “Hear our voices for peace” and was handed over to Deputy Mayor Thomas Hermann.

The conference was organized by the YMCA Hannover in cooperation with the Cultural Office, the Office for International Affairs/Mayors for Peace, the Youth and Family Department and the German-Japanese partnership associations in Hannover.