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 THE SECRETARY-GENERAL
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MESSAGE TO HARMONY FOR PEACE FOUNDATION

New York, 16 May 2010

I extend my best wishes to the Harmony for Peace Foundation for having organized the Harmony for Peace Concert in support of the work of the United Nations for nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation.

I also offer my compliments to the Consulate-General of Japan in New York, the Permanent Mission of Japan to the United Nations, the city of Hiroshima, the Hiroshima Peace Cultural Foundation and the Hiroshima Peace Center for their efforts in support of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

The assumption that nuclear weapons are indispensable for international peace and security is crumbling. Nuclear disarmament is back on the global agenda, and not a moment too soon. While Cold War fears engendered by the arms race have largely abated, there are now serious concerns that nuclear weapons or nuclear materials could fall into the hands of non-state actors. A groundswell of new international initiatives has thus emerged to move the nuclear disarmament agenda forward.

Collaborative international efforts and political commitments of States are crucial. But there is also space for – and a compelling need for – initiatives by civil society, nongovernmental organizations, academic institutions the private sector, and individual citizens. In that spirit, I welcome the Harmony for Peace Concert, which will help raise awareness of the need for action.

The world is over-armed, and peace is under-funded. I look forward to working with all partners to achieve the long-held and widely shared goal of a world free of nuclear weapons.