The International Association of Peace Messenger Cities (IAPMC) welcomes the adoption by a United Nations Conference in New York of a Treaty to prohibit nuclear weapons. This is not just another agreement about disarmament and non-proliferation. This Treaty is a legally-binding humanitarian instrument. It brings into a sharp focus the universal concern about the catastrophic humanitarian consequences that will result from any use of nuclear weapons as well as from accidental detonation, miscalculation or design. Accordingly, the Treaty constitutes one giant step towards the total elimination of all nuclear weapons.
IAPMC would like to take this opportunity to commend all the States, organizations and individuals for their steadfastness in fulfilling the mandate of the UN General Assembly to come up with the legally-binding instrument in the interest of humanity. IAPMC pays special tribute to the President of the Conference, Ambassador Elayne Whyte Gomez of Costa Rica for her leadership in the negotiating process leading to the conclusion and adoption of the Treaty. The Association notes with interest her acknowledgement of the contribution of civil society, in her words, “…by their enthusiasm, knowledge and collective experience that have kept the pressure throughout decades to have the international community move towards the prohibition of nuclear weapons.”
The International Association of Peace Messenger Cities was founded to help create a culture of peace, and among other things to ensure that States understand that nuclear disarmament and the total abolition of nuclear weapons is a primary necessity for the establishment and maintenance of international peace. It therefore considers this Treaty as an effective contribution to that end. For humanity’s sake the Association encourages its members to take appropriate means at their disposal to help facilitate the relevant processes, particularly at the national level, to ensure that the Treaty enters in force as early as possible.