During the Tenth Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) in August 2022, SGI collaborated with other groups to unite the voices of faith communities. As part of this effort, SGI helped to draft the Joint Interfaith Statement to the Tenth Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), which was endorsed by 104 organizations from various faith traditions, including Christianity, Buddhism, Islam and Hinduism. It states, “Our diverse faith traditions remind us that we are not prisoners of our current reality. Each of us are creative, resilient, and capable of creating a world we desire.”
Our diverse faith traditions remind us that we are not prisoners of our current reality. Each of us are creative, resilient, and capable of creating a world we desire.
The statement urged the delegations at the Review Conference to heed the voices of hibakusha (survivors of the atomic bombings at Hiroshima and Nagasaki) and other affected communities. Their testimonials demonstrate that nuclear weapons are weapons of mass destruction, capable of killing millions and causing long-lasting, devastating humanitarian consequences. In light of these truths, the statement affirms that a nuclear war can have no victor and must never be initiated. It implores delegations at the Review Conference to commit to concrete actions to prevent any possibility of escalation toward a nuclear war; fulfill commitments and obligations for nuclear disarmament under Article VI of the NPT; and support other international instruments that complement such obligations, including the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons and the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty.
During the NGO statement presentations at the conference plenary session on 5 August, Kehkashan Basu of Green Hope Foundation and Voices for a World Free of Nuclear Weapons (Voices) read the statement to delegates on behalf of all the endorsing organizations.
Chie Sunada of the Soka Gakkai Women’s Peace Committee reads the Joint Interfaith Statement to the NPT at the first annual Nuclear Prayer Day event
SGI also supported the first annual Nuclear Prayer Day, an initiative spearheaded by Voices, on and around 6 August. On 5 August, SGI co-sponsored the Nuclear Prayer Day-Hiroshima/Nagasaki Interfaith Peace Gathering held at the Tillman Chapel of the Church Center for the UN, where Chie Sunada of the Soka Gakkai Women’s Peace Committee read the Joint Interfaith Statement to the NPT to attendees. Additionally, Anna Ikeda of SGI participated in the Nuclear Prayer Day inaugural video, which was live streamed on the morning of 6 August.
