Overview

• Hannover Mayor Belit Onay delivered a six-minute speech at a UN conference in New York, urging global nuclear disarmament as the only way to prevent catastrophic consequences.
• Onay, serving as Vice President of the 'Mayors for Peace' network, represented the Hiroshima Mayor, emphasizing the generational harm caused by nuclear weapons.
• Germany opted not to participate in the conference, citing the outdated context of the Nuclear Weapons Ban Treaty in light of current geopolitical tensions, including the war in Ukraine.
• Onay criticized the perception of nuclear deterrence as a security measure, warning it could fail with devastating global repercussions.
• The 'Mayors for Peace' organization, with over 8,470 member cities worldwide, continues to advocate for the elimination of nuclear weapons and global peace efforts.