Preamble

We, the 57 participants of the 7th Hiroshima Junior International Forum, held during August 16th and 20th 2022, gathered online from 12 countries to learn about and discuss the abolition of nuclear weapons and peacebuilding.

We, the younger generation, understand that billions of people around the world are frightened by the risk of nuclear weapons being used in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. We also understand that not only in Ukraine but also around the world, there are millions of people whose lives and safety are threatened by armed conflicts. The issues of abolition of nuclear weapons and peacebuilding are just as important as ever.

We have a responsibility to free people from the threat of nuclear weapons and to restore dignity to people in conflict zones. In order to take action on nuclear abolition and peacebuilding, we, the youth of today, need to acquire expertise and build a network of like-minded peers. With the strong will of the people of Hiroshima, at this forum we had a chance to listen to the testimony of hibakusha and lecture of experts as well as discussing the challenges and solutions for abolition of nuclear weapons and peacebuilding.

The Hiroshima Declaration is the final output of all that we have learned and discussed over these 5 days. The Hiroshima Declaration is an action plan for ourselves and a proposal for like-minded people around the world.

 

<Challenges and Solutions for Abolition of Nuclear Weapons>

✧ Toward nuclear weapons abolition, we recognize that the usage of nuclear weapons would be disastrous and they are a threat to everyone.

✧ For this challenge, we suggest that people should know more about what happened in Hiroshima or Nagasaki that have experienced the full and horrific effects of nuclear weapons and learn more about what happened to the people who lived there at that time.

✧ Toward the abolition of nuclear weapons, we recognize that there are many people around the world who do not know about the negative impacts that nuclear weapons have had on the environment and people’s lives.

✧ For this challenge, we recommend that we educate people about the dangers of using nuclear weapons, especially in countries that continue to possess them.

 

<Our Role for Abolition of Nuclear Weapons>

✧ We, the young people, commit to learn more about peace. Junior high school students and high school students should continue to learn about peace and the use of the 2 atomic bombs in school. The first step is learning, so they should continue learning.

✧ We, the young people, commit to make a video about atomic bombing. This video would be easy for children to understand. We need to share and spread information around the world, so it is important for all generations for this to be easy to understand.

✧ We, the young people, commit to using social media to convey the horrors and long-lasting effects of atomic bombing. We need to use social media to convey the horror of nuclear weapons to show people how foolish it is to retain nuclear weapons.

<The Role of Hiroshima for Abolition of Nuclear Weapons>

✧ We believe that Hiroshima can hold programs, such as the Hiroshima Junior International Forum to increase the amount of young people who can exchange opinions about nuclear weapons abolition.

✧ We believe that Hiroshima should translate the Hibakusha testimonies into not only English but also globally used languages.

✧ We should hold the Peace Park tour on the internet and at a low price to be able tell as many people as possible about the atomic bombing.

 

<Challenges and Solutions for Peacebuilding>

✧ Towards peacebuilding, we recognize that there are still gender issues.

✧ For this challenge, we suggest that men and women should have equal salaries and for all workers to have equal treatment.

✧ For this challenge, we recommend that people should start treating each other equally. By being non-judgemental and starting to accept that they we are equals is a step to achieving peace within our societies.

<Our Role for Peacebuilding>

✧ We, the young people, commit to keep thinking “What is Peace?” Peace doesn’t have a clear form, so we should keep thinking “What is Peace” and show it in our own words.

✧ We, the young people, commit to keep in mind that “I can’t agree but I understand”. We should not give up on understanding. Trying to understand will prevent conflict. Also, we will commit to be kind to one another.

✧ We, the young people, commit to spreading our messages and conveying the histories about Hiroshima. Our points of view are different, so it is important to share our thoughts.

 

<The Role of Hiroshima for Peacebuilding>

✧ We believe that Hiroshima should continue to provide peace education to many children as a peaceful city from now on.

✧ We expect Hiroshima to give the younger generation the chance to learn about the atomic bombs from the Hibakusha.

✧ In events like the Hiroshima Junior International Forum, we should create opportunities to learn about peace from Hiroshima.

✧ We believe that Hiroshima can make TV shows and cartoons for children to help them understand peace.

Closing

All the participants have come together and made the Hiroshima Declaration. But we cannot stop ourselves here. We pledge to put the action plan into practice. We are also determined to keep learning and expand the network of like-minded people through dialogue. When we interact with people, we promise to be sensitive to diversity and respectful of each other, as we have been in our dialogue with the participants of this forum.

We understand that the world faces many challenges and difficulties each of which requires concrete and concerted action. With the support of the people of Hiroshima and the friends we have made at this forum, we are standing at the starting line full of enthusiasm. We are keenly aware of our power and responsibility, and hereby declare our determination to live up to the Hiroshima Declaration

 

August 20, 2022