The municipal plenary unanimously approves a motion on nuclear weapons and support for the Treaty on their prohibition

The municipal council of Granollers, Catalonia, Spain in a session held on Tuesday 27 November, unanimously approved the motion proposed by the city in collaboration with Fundipau, ICAN and Mayors for Peace. The motion expresses concern over the serious threat posed by nuclear weapons and demands movement towards their prohibition.

After many years of demands from civil society, NGOs and campaigns, such as the Mayors for Peace network and the survivors of atomic bombs, etc., a major first step was achieved: the adoption of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons by the United Nations on 7 July 2017.

Mayor Josep Mayoral, explained that the council motion stems from a worldwide campaign “which had the audacity to demand the prohibition of nuclear weapons”. Mayoral said that this “is not an aesthetic motion, it is a motion initiated 3 years ago with a resounding success.” So the UN has approved a treaty that states must now ratify. For this reason, this motion seeks precisely that the Spanish Government signs and ratifies the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.

The Mayors for Peace Network and Fundipau, a member of the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize winning International Campaign for the Abolition of Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), are promoting this global campaign to call on governments, through cities, to sign and ratify the treaty. From now on, the network of Mayors for Peace and Fundipau will be disseminating this motion and inviting municipalities (whether they are members of Mayors for Peace or not) to join the call.

The demands contained in the motion are as follows:

  1. Express solidarity with all persons and communities affected by the impact of atomic bombs and nuclear weapons tests.
  2. Call upon the states of the world to commit themselves in a clear and precise manner to nuclear disarmament and to take concrete steps towards its achievement.
  3. Endorse the ICAN Cities Appeal (promoted by the ICAN Campaign, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize 2017) that several cities around the world are signing: “Our city is deeply concerned about the grave threat that nuclear weapons pose to communities throughout the world. We firmly believe that our residents have the right to live in a world free from this threat. Any use of nuclear weapons, whether deliberate or accidental, would have catastrophic, far-reaching and long-lasting consequences for people and the environment. Therefore, we support the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons and call on our governments join it.
  4. Urge the Government of Spain to sign and ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons approved by the United Nations.
  5. Transmit this declaration to the Government of Spain, to the Secretariat of Mayors for Peace, to the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces and to FundiPau (Foundation for Peace), member of the ICAN Campaign.