News
Happy New Year from Peace Boat!
2020 has been a challenging year for so many and we would again like to offer our solidarity with all. At the same time, we have been overwhelmed by the support that Peace Boat has received from our partners and friends around the world and we are deeply grateful.
We are continuing to work for a peaceful and sustainable world with much of our work now taking place online. 2020 saw the 75th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki which were commemorated online as well as in Japan. It is most fitting that this was the year the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) gained the 50 ratifications needed for it to enter into force on January 22, 2021. This was a moment of great celebration as we move closer to a world free of nuclear weapons and we acknowledge the great work of those who made this possible. We continue our own efforts with “Every Second Counts for the Survivors: Peace Boat Online Hibakusha Project” and invite our partners around the world to be a part of it by hosting hibakusha testimonies online.
Peace Boat continued our work towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in various ways including active participation in two weeks of online events around UN World Oceans Day, and our ongoing coordination of the Northeast Asian regional network of the Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPPAC). We also held two virtual Global Voyages, and launched an online community for past passengers with various events held daily, keeping us connected until we resume our voyages onboard our new ship, the Pacific World.
2021 will continue to be a challenging year, but we hope one with renewed hope and we look forward to sailing again this coming year. 2021 also marks ten years since the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami and the subsequent disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, and we are planning a large-scale online event to commemorate this and connect globally for a nuclear-free, sustainable future.
We once again thank you for your support and friendship and look forward to working together for a peaceful future for all.
