From 3–7 March 2025, the third Meeting of States Parties (3MSP) to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) took place at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. The event was attended by 86 countries and 163 civil society organizations. SGI participated with a delegation of representatives, including the members of the Student Division from Japan and Youth Division from the United States.

Considering the critical moment the world is facing, with rising global tensions and the threat of nuclear war, SGI has actively engaged in various activities during the 3MSP. In particular, it has focused on peace and disarmament education as a key issue to address in order to advance the effective implementation and universalization of the TPNW.

To this end, in collaboration with Dr. Agnieszka Nimark from the Reppy Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies at Cornell University, SGI has submitted a working paper titled “Peace and Disarmament Education and the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons: Ways Forward.” Additionally, during one of the sessions, an SGI representative had the opportunity to deliver a statement based on this working paper.

On 2 March, the ICAN Campaigner Forum was held at Riverside Church, a deeply symbolic venue where Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his memorable speech against the war in Vietnam. Attended by approximately 300 participants, the event served as a valuable start to the week, providing an opportunity to build new connections, strengthen existing ones and coordinate among civil society actors to maximize the impact of actions during the 3MSP.

The proceedings of the 3MSP, chaired by Ambassador Akan Rakhmetullin of the Republic of Kazakhstan, began on 3 March, with the participation of 86 countries and high expectations that the five-day discussions would lead to more states signing and ratifying the TPNW. Achieving this would mark a significant milestone, with over half of the world's nations having signed the treaty, sending a strong signal toward the goal of a world free from nuclear weapons.

On the same day, SGI co-organized a side event alongside the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Center for International Security and Policy (CISP). The event featured the screening of the full documentary “I Want To Live On: The Untold Stories of the Polygon,” which had previously been shown in a shortened version during the 2MSP.

Following opening remarks by Azamat Kairolda, Counsellor of the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Kazakhstan; Tomohiko Aishima, SGI Executive Director of Peace and Global Issues; and Alimzhan Akhmetov, CISP Director, the audience had the opportunity to watch “I Want To Live On.” Produced by CISP with the support of SGI, the documentary sheds light on the Semipalatinsk Test Site, also known as the Polygon, which served as the Soviet Union’s primary nuclear test site until 1991.

After the screening, Diana Murzagaliyeva, a fourth-generation survivor of the nuclear testing at the Polygon, took the floor to share her personal testimony. She spoke about the struggles she faced from a very young age, including being unable to use her voice and speak until she was nine years old, which has also led to discrimination within her community. Her speech deeply moved the audience, particularly as she described her decision, at just 18 years old, to dedicate her life to the fight for nuclear abolition, raising awareness in her community and around the world.

As part of SGI’s efforts to highlight faith communities’ crucial role in bringing moral and ethical perspectives to the issue of nuclear disarmament, which are also considered essential for overcoming security doctrines that are reliant on nuclear deterrence, SGI has coordinated an initiative with 107 other faith-based organizations and groups. Together, they shared an interfaith statement on the third day at 3MSP, read by Kathleen and Sara Burkinshaw, who are second and third generation Hibakusha featured in Voices for a World Free of Nuclear Weapons (part of the United Religions Initiative). The statement urged all nations to join the TPNW, emphasizing that the abolition of nuclear weapons is a fundamental requirement for our collective survival.
 

In addition to these initiatives at the 3MSP, SGI youth representatives actively engaged in the youth-related activities. They attended the Youth Meeting of States Parties (Youth MSP) organized by the Youth for TPNW on 4 March. Following the testimonies—including testimony from Masako Wada, the Assistant Secretary-General of Nihon Hidankyo (the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations), Miyuki Horiguchi of SGI shared SGI’s various advocacy and awareness-raising activities at the grassroots level. These activities include the testimony hearings of Hibakusha and the wartime survivors organized by Women’s Peace Committee Youth Conference, as well as the Future Action Festival held at the Tokyo National Stadium in March 2024. SGI also endorsed the joint youth statement.

Alex Scheffelin of SGI-USA shared, “I was surprised to learn that the threat nuclear weapons pose doesn’t simply exist in some theoretical future, but that they exist all around us in this very moment. I also was happy to see so many youth engaged in this topic, so many of whom recognize the power that dialogue amongst ordinary citizens plays in creating a world without nuclear weapons.”

On 6 March, SGI co-organized a side event titled “Youth Voices for a Sustainable, Nuclear-Weapon-Free Future,” together with Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung in Kazakhstan, International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, Marshallese Educational Initiative, Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, Qazaq Nuclear Frontline Coalition and Reverse the Trend. These organizations have been promoting the Youth Peace Awareness Survey since early this year, targeting those aged 18–35 living in the following nuclear-affected countries: Australia, Japan, Kazakhstan, the Marshall Islands and the United States. Including the SGI representatives of the Student Division from Japan, Yuki Nihei and Daiki Nakazawa, the speakers representing these countries, shared an analysis of the survey results thus far. They discussed the role of youth as storytellers of Hibakusha and the survivors of the development, testing and use of nuclear weapons.

During the 3MSP, the States Parties reflected on intersessional progresses and discussed future plans for the upcoming Review Conference of the Treaty, including the establishment of a Trust Fund for victim assistance and environmental remediation outlined in Articles 6 and 7 of the Treaty. The Review Conference will take place 30 November–4 December 2026 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, with South Africa as President.

Considering that fewer countries attended the 3MSP as observers compared to previous MSPs, due to the current heightened global tensions, it is urgent for all stakeholders to further examine whether nuclear deterrence remains a credible strategy for human survival. It is now crucial to strengthen the role of civil society organizations and interfaith communities, united in solidarity, with their voices stronger than ever for the total abolition of nuclear weapons.