The crucial second round of negotiations on a treaty to prohibit nuclear weapons will take place from June 15 at the United Nations headquarters in New York. Almost 130 countries, or two thirds of U.N. member states, participated in the first round of negotiations held at the end of March, which became the site of vigorous debate with the active participation of civil society.
Nuclear weapons are capable of annihilating humankind and the global ecosystem, and the threat they pose is, if anything, growing. The upcoming negotiations seek to achieve a fundamental breakthrough in this situation.
"We hibakusha have no doubt that this treaty can — and will — change the world." This statement made by an atomic bomb survivor at the March negotiations was met by very long applause from participants. This expressed a heartfelt support that is shared by many people, regardless of nationality.