Internation Youth Summit for Nuclear Abolition creates momentum

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Youth Summit for Nuclear Abolition creates momentum Rick Wayman (Nuclear Age Peace Foundation) and Anna Ikeda (Soka Gakkai International)

From!August!28-30,!youth!from!around!the!world!gathered!in!Hiroshima!to!learn,!engage,!network,!and!become!even!more!inspired!to!work!for!the!abolition!of!nuclear!weapons.!The!International!Youth!Summit!for!Nuclear!Abolition!was!initially!proposed!by!Soka!Gakkai!International!and!was!joined!and!supported!by!many!NGOs!around!the!world!along!with!the!cities!of!Hiroshima!and!Nagasaki.!

For!the!first!two!days,!30!young!people!from!23!countries!took!part!in!intimate!conversations!with!each!other!and!other!important!voices!in!the!movement!to!abolish!nuclear!weapons,!such!as!survivors!of!the!U.S.!atomic!bombing!of!Hiroshima!(“hibakusha”)!

and!the!Mayor!of!Hiroshima,!Kazumi!Matsui.!This!small!group!then!engaged!in!thematic!discussions!such!as!how!to!engage!more!youth!in!the!disarmament!movement,!and!worked!on!an!action!plan!for!moving!the!nuclear!abolition!agenda!forward.!

On!August!30,!a!large!summit!was!held!in!Hiroshima!with!over!250!people!in!attendance,!and!many!more!tuning!in!from!around!the!world!via!livestream.!In!the!morning!session,!participants!

heard!from!Mr.!Masaaki!Tanabe,!a!filmmaker!and!survivor!of!the!Hiroshima!bombing.!His!film,!Hiroshima,Lost,!was!screened,!followed!by!an!engaging!question!and!answer!session.!

For!many!at!the!summit,!one!of!the!most!uplifting!moments!of!the!morning!session!was!from!Naomi!Tagawa,!a!high!school!student!in!Hiroshima!who!is!a!third-generation!hibakusha.!Naomi,!an!accomplished!pianist,!played!a!“Hibaku!Piano”!–!a!piano!that!survived!the!atomic!bombing!of!Hiroshima!and!has!since!been!restored.!

Following!an!afternoon!of!small!group!discussions,!the!summit!concluded!with!the!presentation!of!a!Youth!Pledge!to!

Mr.!Ahmed!Alhendawi,!the!UN!Secretary-General’s!Envoy!on!Youth.!The!pledge!reads!in!part:!

The!continued!existence!of!nuclear!weapons!is!unacceptable!and!action!must!be!taken!to!protect!our!shared!future….!We,!the!Generation!of!Change,!invite!you!to!join!us!as!we!raise!our!collective!voice!to!call!for!action;!we!refuse!to!stand!by!while!nuclear!weapons!continue!to!threaten!our!lives!and!future!generations.!Join!us,!take!action!and!create!change!!

Participants!will!continue!to!carry!the!Youth!Pledge!forward!in!their!future!work,!both!within!their!own!organizations!and!collectively.!We!urge!you!to!read!more!about!the!Youth!Summit!at!www.internationalyouthsummit.org,!where!you!can!sign!the!Youth!Pledge,!watch!video!of!the!summit!and!much!more.!We!also!plan!on!holding!a!side!event!on!the!youth!pledge!and!outcomes!of!the!summit!during!the!2015!session!of!the!UN!General!Assembly!First!Committee!in!October.!Information!will!soon!be!available!on!the!website.!