ICAN Wins 2017 Nobel Peace Prize

February 2014, Setsuko delivered a keynote together with another Hibakusha Stories Fellow, Yasuaki Yamashita, Nagasaki Hibakusha, at the at the Second International Conference on the Humanitarian Impact of Nuclear Weapons, hosted by the Government of Mexico, attended by 146 states and 120 NGOs and Civil Society organizations.

In March 2014, Setsuko delivered a keynote at the Royal Irish Academy in Dublin. Citing the Nayarit gathering she said:

“The Conference Chair, in his summary report… [urged] us to take action….  He declared that Nayarit is a point of no return…. As I was wiping my tears of joy in the din of the thunderous applause, I realized that the world has heard the voices of Hibakusha, the survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and is with us in solidarity for our urgent shared task of prohibiting and eliminating nuclear weapons for the sake of humanity.”

In November and December of 2014, Kathleen and Setsuko toured Oslo and Stockholm speaking with students and the general public. The trip culminated in Setsuko’s address as part of the opening plenary of the Third International Conference on the Humanitarian Impact of Nuclear Weapons. In her speech at the Hofburg Palace in Vienna she said:

Hibakusha are increasingly frustrated, just as all of us here are, by the lack of tangible progress toward nuclear disarmament. This, in spite of our baring our souls with painful memories over the past 69 years to warn people about the hell on earth we experienced in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.  How much longer can we allow the Nuclear Weapon States to continue threatening all life on earth? At Nayarit we declared that the time has come for action to establish a legally binding framework to ban nuclear weapons. Here in Vienna let us move forward, courageously, by concretizing our vision so that we can make the 70th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki the appropriate milestone to achieve our goal: to prohibit and eliminate nuclear weapons. Let us start this process, beginning with negotiations on a ban treaty.

In May 2015, during the Review Conference of the Non Proliferation Treaty, Hibakusha Stories hosted a reception for atomic bomb survivors at the United Nations. Setsuko encouraged delegates in her speech stating:

“We hibakusha live with unforgettable memories of that catastrophic devastation and still today are dying from the delayed effects of radiation exposure. You delegates who are here are part of the decision making body, therefore have a responsibility for the fate of the human community. It is the sincere hope of all hibakusha that the delegates to the NPT will use the next four weeks wisely and take concrete steps to eliminate this ultimate threat to all life on earth. We want you to BAN nuclear weapons NOW!”

In May 2016, Setsuko and Kathleen traveled to the UN in Geneva to attend the Open Ended Working Group on Multilateral Nuclear Disarmament. Setsuko encouraged delegates by saying:

“The birth of the Humanitarian Initiative is like opening a door of hope for a new chapter of our struggle, and, for the world community, it has galvanized peoples’ energy and commitment. The Humanitarian Initiative has reframed how we think and talk about nuclear weapons and refocused our attention from the military doctrine of deterrence to the real impact of nuclear weapons, on all living beings and our environment.   We pray that this Open Ended Working Group progresses productively so that it could set the stage for negotiations on a new legally binding instrument that prohibits nuclear weapons.”

Later that same year in December, the UN General Assembly adopted a landmark resolution to convene a conference to “negotiate a legally binding instrument to prohibit nuclear weapons, leading to their total elimination.”

Kathleen and Setsuko traveled back from a speaking tour in the UK in time to participate in the first segment of the Ban Treaty negotiations. In Setsuko’s address before the delegates she said:

“For those of you delegates, who are genuinely serious about disarmament, I want you to feel the presence of not only the future generations who will benefit from your negotiations to ban nuclear weapons, but to feel the spirit of the dead witnesses from Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The memories and images of those who perished have always supported and guided me. I think this is how many survivors have kept on living — to make sure that the deaths of their loved ones were not in vain. As you proceed through this week, I hope you also feel their presence and support. Please do your job well! And know that we hibakusha have no doubt that this treaty can—and will—change the world.”

In July 2017, Setsuko traveled back to New York. There was not a dry eye in Conference Room 1 of the United Nations when Setsuko was given the final word before proceedings finished with the historic adoption of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. She said:

“To the leaders of countries across the world, I beseech you, if you love this planet, you will sign this treaty! Nuclear weapons have always been immoral. Now they are also illegal.”

You can see her speech in full, animated by Amber Cooper-Davies, here