The Hiroshima G7 Youth Summit has started on the Hiroshima University Campus. For the next three days 50 young people, mostly from G7 countries, will discuss with and hear from experts on nuclear disarmament, meet with survivors, visit significant locations in Hiroshima, connect with each other and develop joint recommendations to the G7 leaders for real, and urgently needed, action to eliminate nuclear weapons.
Over 50 participants traveled from Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, China, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Fiji, France, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Pakistan, Rwanda, Singapore, the Solomon Islands, Spain, Sweden, the UK, the US and Japan to the Higashi-Hiroshima Campus of Hiroshima University to participate in this event.
April 25th: Opening and kick off sessions
And we are live! 🎉 Participants of the summit are ready learn more about the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of nuclear weapons and the #nuclearban, and to call on the G7 leaders, also meeting in Hiroshima, to take concrete action against nuclear weapons. #G7YouthVsNukes pic.twitter.com/HvrwitX9Cq
— ICAN (@nuclearban) April 25, 2023
The Summit was opened this morning by President Ochi of Hiroshima University and Akira Kawasaki. Welcoming participants to the Higashi-Hiroshima Campus, President Ochi encouraged attendees to learn about the inhumane aspects of nuclear weapons and discuss with each other how the world could move towards nuclear disarmament: “Through this Summit, I really would like to encourage the younger generations to re-think carefully what ‘peace’ actually means in this chaotic world” he said, adding “you may come across a challenging question or issue such as ‘how to end war and regain peace’. For such tough question, I sincerely hope that you will be able to deepen your level of discussion, using your youthful and flexible thinking skills, so that the first step will be made towards realizing world peace.”
Following the inspirational welcome, participants heard from Hiroshima University experts Noriyuki Kawano and Luli van der Does, and Talei Mangioni of the School of Culture, History and Language, Australian National University to gain a better specific understanding about nuclear weapons and their consequences.
About the Summit
The Hiroshima G7 Youth Summit programme will include first-hand accounts of nuclear weapons survivors and the knowledge of renowned physicists, legal experts, political scientists, sociologists and economists. Participants will have an invaluable opportunity to visit the A-bombed remains and Peace Museum unique to Hiroshima, as well as build relationships with one another. Check out the full programme here.
The Summit is sponsored and organized by ICAN, hosted and co-organized by The Center for Peace, Hiroshima University (CPHU), co-sponsored by Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation, ANT-Hiroshima, Soka Gakkai International (SGI), Peace Boat and supported by the City of Hiroshima, Religions for Peace Japan and Heinrich Boell Stiftung Hong Kong. This is held in the series of the Hiroshima University 75+75th Anniversary Project.
