Peace Boat / ICAN Media Events during the G7 Hiroshima Summit

PRESS RELEASE

Prior to and during the G7 Hiroshima Summit (May 19-21, 2023), Peace Boat and ICAN will be holding / appearing in several media briefings and press conferences. Please see below for details.

For media interested in interviewing atomic-bomb survivors (hibakusha) from May 17 through to May 21, please contact Hatakeyama Sumiko at Peace Boat (+81-7085772576) for possible arrangements.

Wednesday, May 17, 2023, 18:30 (JST)

Press Conference by NGOs and Hibakusha towards G7 Hiroshima Summit

Thursday, May 18, 2023, 14:00-14:30 (JST)

Media briefing from International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN)

Media briefing on ICAN's demands and expectations from the G7 leaders and activities planned over the summit period.

Friday, May 19, 19:30-20:30 (JST)

Press Conference Jointly Held and Attended by Hibakusha Organizations in Hiroshima

A press conference to respond to the G7 leaders' visit to Peace Park and meeting with Hibakusha.

Sunday May 21, 16:00-17:00 (JST)

Press Conference by Setsuko Thurlow and ICAN

A press conference to provide Setsuko Thurlow's message and ICAN's response to G7 Summit's outcomes. This will be the only opportunity in which Setsuko Thurlow will be speaking to the media.

SPEAKER PROFILES
Setsuko Thurlow

Hiroshima survivor and ICAN campaigner Setsuko Thurlow was a 13-year-old schoolgirl when the United States dropped an atomic bomb on her city, Hiroshima. Today, she is a leading figure in the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN). Her powerful speeches have inspired countless individuals around the world to take action for disarmament. She was instrumental in the creation of the landmark Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, adopted in July 2017 with the support of 122 nations. For decades, she has warned governments that inaction is not an option: nuclear weapons must be totally eliminated if we are to ensure that no other city ever suffers the same fate as hers. Setsuko's courageous advocacy, sharp analysis and deep conviction make her a formidable opponent to all who claim that these ultimate weapons of mass destruction are legitimate instruments of defence. A living witness to the horrors of nuclear war, she has contributed enormously to the success of ICAN over the past decade.

Daniel Högsta

Interim Executive Director, International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) From 1 February 2023, Daniel Högsta is taking on the Interim Executive Director role, after the departure of Beatrice Fihn, until a new Executive Director is found. ICAN is the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize-winning campaign coalition that works to prohibit and eliminate nuclear weapons. Previously, Daniel was the Campaign Coordinator of ICAN, responsible for the ICAN Cities Appeal, the ICAN Parliamentary Pledge, as well as supporting the campaign activities and political engagement of ICAN’s partner organisations. In the period which culminated in the negotiations of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), Daniel coordinated advocacy efforts for ICAN and was responsible for generating awareness, understanding and support among governments for the "Humanitarian Initiative" and for the concept of a new treaty to ban nuclear weapons. During the negotiation of the TPNW in New York in 2017, he helped to lead ICAN’s lobbying team to ensure the Treaty reflected ICAN’s core principles. Since 2018, Daniel’s work focused on supporting the work of ICAN partners to garner political support for the Treaty in “nuclear umbrella” state contexts, as well as on broadening the community of stakeholders that champion the TPNW. He has degrees in Political Science and Law from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor and the University of Edinburgh respectively.

Kawasaki Akira

Executive Committee member, Peace Boat International Steering Group member, International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) Kawasaki Akira is a member of the Executive Committee of Peace Boat and sitting President and International Steering Group member of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN). Mr Kawasaki Akira served as Secretary-General of Peace Depot (2000-2002) and joined Peace Boat in 2003. Since 2008, he coordinates the “Global Voyage for a Nuclear-Free World: Peace Boat Hibakusha Project,” in which atomic-bomb survivors travel around the world to raise public awareness on nuclear dangers. In 2009-2010, he served as an NGO Advisor to the Co-Chairs of the International Commission on Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament (ICNND). Kawasaki joined the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) for Peace Boat in 2010 and served as Co-chair (2012-2014), leading the campaign to be awarded the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize. From 2021, he serves as President of the Swiss-registered association of ICAN. As a Co-Chair of the Japan NGO Network for Nuclear Weapons Abolition, he has promoted dialogue on nuclear policy between the Japanese government, parliamentarians and civil society organizations. Kawasaki is a board member of the Peace Studies Association of Japan and lectures at Keisen University. He was awarded the 33rd Kiyoshi Tanimoto Peace Prize by Hiroshima Peace Center in 2021.

See official press release here

Read more about the activities of Civil7 (C7), one of the official Engagement Groups of the G7, within which Peace Boat has been coordinator of the Nuclear Disarmament Working Group.