Nihon Hidayanko is an organization of survivors of the 1945 atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, also known as hibakusha. These people are committed to achieving a nuclear-free world, which is also a top priority of the United Nations.
UN chief Antonio Guterres described the hibakusha as “selfless and determined witnesses to the enormously terrifying cost of nuclear weapons on human life”.
He also said that although their numbers seem to be growing little every year, their tireless and patient work is the backbone of the global nuclear disarmament movement.
The UN secretary-general said he would never forget his meetings with many hibakusha over the years.
A global inspiration
The UN Secretary-General said, “Their vivid memory reminds the world that the nuclear threat is not confined to the history books. “Nuclear weapons are still a clear threat to humanity, reflected in the almost daily inflammatory rhetoric of international relations.”
“It is time for world leaders, like the hibakusha, to take a clear view and see nuclear weapons for what they are: instruments of death that offer no safety, security or protection. There is only one way to eliminate the threat of nuclear weapons and that is to completely eliminate all nuclear weapons.”
He said the United Nations proudly stands behind the hibakusha, who are “an inspiration for our collective efforts to build a nuclear-free world.”