Mayors for Peace Network
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EDI N BVRG H THE CITY OF EDINBURGH COUNCIL Mayors for Peace Network City of Edinburgh Council 15 September 2005 Purpose of report 1 To consider the decision ol the Executive o 23 August 2005 on the Mayors for Peace Network. Main report 2 At its meeting on 23 August 2005 the Executive considered a report by the Chief Executive on an invitation to the Council to join the Mayors for Peace Network and to endorse the Network’s statement on non-proliferation of nuclear weapons. 3 The Executive agreed that the Council become a member of the Mayors for Peace Network and indicate its support for the Network’s statement. 4 The Executive’s decision has been called in to the Council in terms of Standing Order 58. The lead signatory is Councillor Mclnnes. Recommendations 5 That the Council consider the Executive’s decision. 1,9 05 Appendices Report no E/I52/05-06/CE by the Chief Executive Contactltel C Riley 529 4830 Wards affected City Wide Background Minute of the Executive of 23 August 2005 Papers 1 Item no + GDINBVRGH + THE CITY OF EDINBURGH COUNCIL Mayors for Peace Network Executive of the Council 23 August 2005 Purpose of report 1 This report is submitted in terms of the decision of the Council on 30 June 2005 that I report on the remaining issues in relation to the invitation to the Council to join the Mayors for Peace Network. Main report The Council had been advised that attendance at the annual conference of the Mayors for Peace Network, which took place in Hiroshima, Japan from 4 to 6 August, was no longer being considered. The previous decision by the Executive, at its meeting on 21 June, had been called in to the Council in terms of Standing Order 58 but, in light of that position, the call-in was subsequently withdrawn at the Council meeting. The remaining issues on which I was asked to report are: i. whether the Council should become a member of the Mayors for Peace Network; and ii. whether the Council should sign the statement at Appendix 1 to this report. Mayors for Peace is an international non-governmental organisation recognised under the United Nations Charter. As at April this year, it comprised 912 cities from 1IO countries and territories which support the Program to Promote the Solidarity of Cities Toward the Total Abolition of Nuclear Weapons, proposed by the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in June 1982 at the Second UN Session on Disarmament. The Network seeks to build solidarity and co-operation among cities and to contribute to world peace, primarily by raising global public consciousness regarding the abolition of nuclear weapons. It also seeks to address collectively the many problems that threaten peaceful co-existence, including hunger, poverty, human rights abuses, local conflict and environmental destruction. While almost 30 UK councils are members of Mayors for Peace, Glasgow and Shetland Islands Councils are the only Scottish members at present and, against the background of growing Edinburgh/Glasgow co-operation, it may be appropriate for this Council now to become a member of the Network. It may, however, be too late for the Council formally to endorse the statement at 1 Appendix 1, since the objective was to release this to the media at the United Nations on 23 May 2005, although the Council could still indicate its support for the sentiments of the statement. Financial Implications 7 As previously reported, membership of the Mayors for Peace Network involves no annual fee or financial obligation. Recommendations 8 The Executive is recommended to agree that the Council become a member of the Mayors for Peace Network and indicate its support for the statement at Appendix 1. Tom Aitchison Chief Executive +$/-/x Appendices Appendix 1 Statement and Signatories Contactltel Tom Aitchison/Deirdre Wynn 469 3002/469 301 1 Wards affected All Background Report to Executive of 21 June 2005 Papers Report to Council of 30 June 2005 2 Joint Statement Page 1 of 8 Mayors and parliamentarians cooperate for a nuclear weapons free world The following statement was released by mayors and members ofparliaments and congresses, meeting in conjunction with the 7thReview Conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons in May 2005, and has been endorsed by the mayors aizd national legislators listed below: Statement As mayors and legislators we have a role to protect the security of citizens living within our jurisdictions and to protect our localities for future generations. Such security is not advanced when there remain 30,000 nuclear weapons, many of which are deployed and ready for use at short notice. The risk of nuclear weapons use - by accident, design or miscalculation ? is increasing due to the proliferation of nuclear weapons to new States, the possibility of non-State access to nuclear weapons and bomb-building materials, and the expanded nuclear weapons use doctrines of the nuclear weapon States. Regardless of where nuclear weapons are targeted or detonated, or whether they are used by terrorist organisations or State militaries, no-one would escape the calamitous consequences of a nuclear attack. Even cities that are not the direct brunt of an attack would feel the global economic, social and medical repercussions, which would dwarf those of 9/11. Any nuclear weapons use would cause unimaginable devastation requiring massive aid, global effects from nuclear fall-out and a rise in refugees seeking to escape the most contaminated regions. The only way to prevent nuclear weapons use is to eliminate all nuclear weapons as mandated by Article VI of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and the 1996 International Court of Justice Advisory Opinion on the Legality of the Threat or Use of Nuclear Weapons. Mayors for Peace have provided a vision for the achievement of a nuclear weapons free world by 2020. Therefore, we the undersigned mayors and parliamentarians, call for the commencement of negotiations which would culminate in the comprehensive abolition and elimination of nuclear weapons and the international control of nuclear materials to prevent clandestine bomb-making. If a small number of States continue to prevent such negotiations being initiated at the Conference on Disarmament and also at the NPT Review Conferences, then governments should be encouraged to find an alternative track to nuclear disarmament as was done with the Landmines Convention. The overwhelming majority of citizens in our cities, countries and around the world support the abolition of these ultimate weapons of mass destruction, and we mayors and legislators have a responsibility to use our authority to ensure the implementation of this imperative. http:liwwv.pcf. cin..hiroshima.jp ~mayorslengIish’canipaign$ointstatement.htm1 08,/0 8 ’3 0 05 Joint Statement Page 3 of 8 Endorsers: Tadatoshi Akiba, Mayor of Hiroshima, Japan Yzermans Alain, Mayor of Houthalen-Helchteren, Belgium Senator Lyn Allison, Australia Senator Abacca Anjain-Maddison, Marshall Islands Hon. Larry Bagnell, P.C. M.P, Canada Chris Balance MSP, Scotland Tim Barnett Mp, New Zealand Senator Andrew Bartlett, Australia Angelika Beer, Member of the European Parliament (MEP) Eddie de Bloack, Mayor, Merchtem, Belgium Senator Stefan0 BOCO,Italy Hartmut Bopp, Mayor of Aarbergen, Germany Rosa Maria Bonas i Pahisa MP, Spain Senator Massimo Bonavita, Italy Jozef de Borger, Mayor Gemeente Londerzeel, Belgium Hiltrud Breyer MdEP Dr Andre Brie, MEP Senator Bob Brown, Australia Dr. Charles Yaw Brempong-Yeboah MP, Ghana Senator Giovanni Brunale, Italy Senator Paolo Brutti, Italy Jim Burch, Mayor of Palo Alto, California, USA Raphael Chegeni MP, Tanzania Arthur Chesterfield Evans MP, Australia Keiko Chiba MP, Japan Senator Nando Dalla Chiesa, Italy David N. Cicilline Mayor of Providence, USA Dave Cieslewicz, Mayor of Madison, USA http:lhuu-.pcf.city .hiroshima,jp/mayors/en,olish/campaign~ ointstatement.htm1 08 '0 8'2 00 5 ~ Joint Statement Page 4 of 8 Ian Cohen MP, Australia Frank Cook MP, United Kingdom Raffaele Cortesi, Mayor of Lug0 (Ra) Italy Senator Fiorello Cortiana, Italy Libby Davies MP, Canada Luc Dehaene, Mayor of Ieper, Belgium Elettra Deiana Mp, Italy Roe1 Deseyn, MP, Belgium Senator Anna Donati, Italy Vera Dua, MP, Belgium Jill Evans MEP Hans Eyssen, Mayor Holsbeek, Belgium Senator Antonello Falomi, Italy Senator Angelo Flammia, Italy Pietro Folena MP, Italy Daniel Fontaine, Mayor of Aubagne, France Deb Foskey MP, Australia Monica Frassoni, Member of the European Parliament Antonelle Friestein, Representing the Mayor of Viorglio, Italy Senator Pierre Galand, Belgium Eloi Glorieux MP, Belgium Senator Leopoldo Di Girolamo, Italy Councillor Brian Gregson, for the Convener, Shetland Islands Council Senator Brian Greig, Australia Paul Van Grembergen, Mayor Evergem, Belgium Edith Cuttat Gyger, Municipalite de Delemont Sylvia Hale MP, Australia David Hammerstein MEP Agne Hansson MP, Sweden http :/'v\u?~-.pcf.cin-.ltiroshima.jp;ma~ors'en,olish/campai-~ijointstatement.htm1 08/0 8/2 0 0 5 J oint 3; tatement Page 5 of 8 Rebecca Harms MEP Satu Hassi, MEP Lotta Hedstrom MP, Sweden Heide Ruehle MEP RogerHeyvaert, Mayor of Meise, Belgium David T. Hildt, Mayor of Amesbury, Massachusetts, USA Alain Hutchinson MEP Satoshi Inoue MP, Japan Tadashi Inuzuka MP, Japan Senator Nuccio Iovene, Italy Marie Anne Isler Beguin, MEP Patrick Janssens Mayor, Belgium Jenny Jones, Representing the Mayor of London Gisela Kallenbach MEP Sandra Kanck, Australia Seiichi Kaneta, MP, Japan Sylvia-Yvonne Kaufmann MEP Sergey Kolesnikov MY, Russia Dirk de Kort, Mayor of Brasschaat, Belgium Rep Dennis