Disarmament in Review
“Toward a World Free of Nuclear Weapons”
A new disarmament exhibition entitled, “Toward a World Free of Nuclear Weapons” opened on 11 November 2011 at the Palais des Nations in Geneva. This collaborative project had the following partners: the Government of Japan, the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs, the United Nations Office at Geneva, and the Atomic Bomb Museums of Nagasaki and Hiroshima.
Located at the entrance to Building E of the Palais complex, the exhibition is composed of text and photographs explaining the history of nuclear weapons and what is being done to realize a nuclear-weapon-free world, artifacts from Urakami Catholic Cathedral that was near the epicenter of the atomic bomb explosion in Nagasaki, and a scaled model of the statue “Good Defeats Evil” by Georgian-Russian artist Zurab Tsereteli.
Speeches were delivered by Mr. Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Director-General of UNOG and Secretary-General of the Conference on Disarmament; Mr. Mari Amano, Ambassador, Permanent Mission of Japan to the Conference on Disarmament; Mr. Kazumi Matsui, Mayor of Hiroshima; and Mr. Tomihisa Taue, Mayor of the City of Nagasaki.
The inauguration also included a musical interlude performed by soprano Ms. Tomomi Goto; the awarding of the Nagasaki Peace Correspondent Award to Ms. Yuka Inomata, President, Friends of Hiroshima, Nagasaki and Chernobyl in Geneva; a briefing by representatives of the High School Peace Messengers of Nagasaki on their signature campaign; and closed with the ribbon-cutting ceremony of the exhibition.
Visitors to the Palais des Nations in Geneva can find the exhibition located at Door 41 of Building E on the second floor.
