On Friday, October 25th, Mayor of Waterford City and County, Cllr. Jason Murphy attended the Mayors for Peace Signing Ceremony at Leinster House in Dublin.
At the 2nd UN Special Session on Disarmament held at the UN Headquarters in New York in 1982, then Mayor Takeshi Araki of Hiroshima called for cities throughout the world to transcend national borders and join in solidarity to work together to press for nuclear abolition.
Mayors for Peace, an international organisation dedicated to the promotion of peace was established that year in Japan by the Mayor of Hiroshima, in response to the deaths of 140,000 people, following the atomic bombing of the city on August 6th, 1945.
Since its foundation, Mayors throughout the world have signed the Mayors for Peace declaration to show they support the commencement of negotiations towards the elimination of nuclear weapons.
The invitation to Leinster House was extended to the Mayor of Waterford City and County by Ceann Comhairle, Seán Ó Fearghaíl TD, where Mr. Kazumi Matsui, Mayor of Hiroshima and president of Mayors for Peace led the signing ceremony.
Speaking of the occasion, Mayor Murphy said, "This is a hugely significant occasion that copper fastens the commitment and solidarity of Mayors throughout Ireland and the world in promoting peace and striving for the eradication of nuclear weapons and the devastation they cause.
"There are almost 8,500 member cities across 166 countries working for a world without nuclear weapons, and as Mayor of Waterford City and County I am honoured to work with the Mayors for Peace organisation in helping to build a better future for generations to come."
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