Peace Boat
“Peace Boat’s voyage docked in Manila, the Philippines on April 13
where a series of events in connection to the GDAMS were held with local
partners. Featured in this photo are 9 Hibakusha (survivors of the
atomic bombs of Hiroshima and Nagasaki), travelling as part of the
“Global Voyage for a Nuclear-Free World: Peace Boat Hibakusha Project.”
In coordination with
Mindanao-based NGO Initiatives for International Dialogue (IID), the
Hibakusha visited the Office of the Presidential Advisor to the Peace
Process (OPAPP). Members of all groups present highlighted the human
cost of war, as seen by the ongoing armed conflicts in the Philippines
and the experiences of the Hibakusha themselves. Under secretary Louie
Montalbo of OPAPP acknowledged that conflict cannot be resolved through
force, and the need to invest more in efforts for peace. This was echoed
by Peace Boat’s appeal for the need for further investment in human
security, ever so important considering the humanitarian crisis Japan is
now facing following the triple disaster of the earthquake, tsunami and
nuclear power plant accidents. During their stay in the Philippines
coinciding with the day after the GDAMS, the Hibakusha also met with
local students and organisers of other GDAMS events in Manila,
confirming together the need for a reduction in military spending and an
increase in joint efforts for peace. These events were organised in
coordination with IID as part of the Global Partnership for the
Prevention of Armed Conflict – a network of civil society organisations
working on peacebuilding and conflict prevention, whose secretariat in
Northeast Asia is hosted by Peace Boat and Southeast Asia by IID.”
