During the Opening Ceremony of the General Meeting of FNP a motion was signed by Joao Carlos Coser, the Mayor of Vitoria and the President of FNP. The motion recalls in its preamble that the Brazilian Federal Constitution of 1988 prohibits the use of nuclear technology for non peaceful purposes, including the development of nuclear weapons.
In the operative paragraphs the FNP announces to join Mayors for Peace and encourage its individual members to register as members. FNP also recommends that national governments urgently consider the Hiroshima-Nagasaki Protocol as a direct means of fulfilling the promise of the NPT by the year 2020.
The support of the FNP to achieve nuclear disarmament by 2020 is significant as Brazil is playing an increasing role on the international stage. According to The Economist Brazil will rank on the 5th place amongst the world powers during the upcoming decade.
Pol DHuyvetter, Executive Advisor and International Development Director, signed the motion on behalf of Mayors for Peace. Mr. Olavo Noleto, representing the Presidency of Brazil, signed as a witness. Also Sergio Chiamparino, Mayor of Torino and President of ANCI, the Italian Association of Mayors, signed as a witness. Torino is one of the first members of Mayors for Peace since 1983. The Mayor of Torino agreed to table a similar motion to ANCI in a near future (Portuguese original page 1 page 2).
At the end of the signing ceremony Mayor Joao Coser set an example by signing the Mayors for Peace membership registration form for the City of Vitoria. After the signing ceremony Mayor Akiba Tadatoshi, President of Mayors for Peace, was rewarded a medal ‘Celio de Castro’ for his achievements. Celio de Castro was President of FNP from 1997 till 2000.
A presentation of Mayors for Peace and the 2020 Vision Campaign by Pol DHuyvetter and Cinthia Heanna, 2020 Vision Campaigner, was warmly welcomed by the 350 participants of the General Meeting. In their presentation they highlighted that it is unacceptable for cities to be considered anylonger targets of nuclear weapons.
On the following day the FNP organized a siging ceremony for Mayors to join the leading international organization devoted to protecting cities from the scourge of war and mass destruction. During the signing ceremony, which was transmitted over the internet, 29 Brazilian Mayors formally joined Mayors for Peace. Also the President of the Association of Mayors from Haiti registered as a new member.
With the support of the FNP Brazil is expected to increase its membership rapidly. With the 29 new members Brazil has now amongst one of the highest membership numbers in Latin-America. Amongst the new members we welcome cities such as Aracuja, Betim, Contagem, Florianopolis, Foz do Iguacu, Joinville and Vitoria (full list below). The new members join some of the largest cities which were already members of Mayors for Peace: Belem, Belo Horizonte, Canoas, Curitiba, Fortaleza, Novo Hamburgo, Osasco, Rio de Janeiro, Santos and Sao Paulo.
Plans are now underway to organize a Mayors for Peace exhibition during the 58th FNP General Meeting in Belo Horizonte in November 2010. The FNP also expressed the intention to invite representatives of the Brazilian Association of Hibakushas, which represents around 120 survivors of the A-bomb who immigrated after the Second World War to Brazil, the country with the largest Japanese community outside Japan.
