23 July 2013

Exhibition on Nuclear Disarmament to open in Dunedin as a part of 68th Hiroshima day commemorations

The National Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies (NCPACS) will host the opening of an antinuclear exhibition “Everything You Treasure: For a World Free from Nuclear Weapons” from August 5 (Mon) to 9 (Fri) at the Otago University Library LINK.

The exhibition, jointly created by Soka Gakkai International (SGI) and the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), was first launched at the 20th World Congress of the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) in Hiroshima in 2012. The exhibition has since been shown in Bahrain and later at the UN Office at Geneva, during the Second Preparatory Committee (PrepCom) for the 2015 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference in April of this year.

The new exhibition consists of 40 panels covering nuclear weapons issues from 12 perspectives: humanitarian, environmental, medical, economic, human rights, energy, scientific, political, spiritual, gender, generational and security. Peter Mauer, President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) stated, “it is astounding that states had never come together to address the humanitarian consequences of nuclear weapons, including their long-term health and climate effects.”

Professor Kevin Clements, Director of NCPACS comments, “We urge as many people as possible to come and see this exhibition. New Zealand should not rest on its antinuclear laurels. It’s important that we understand the continuing threats from nuclear weapons and the need for their total abolition. In particular, we want to make sure that the current generation of young people and students know as much about these issues as did their parents.”

The Centre would like to invite students from intermediate and high schools in the Dunedin area to view the exhibition. Students of NCPACS are also planning to visit the local schools to talk about nuclear issues.

The exhibition is just one part of the Hiroshima Day commemorations the Centre will organize in Dunedin together with other community groups. A peace vigil and a public debate “that New Zealand is safer out of ANZUS and Nuclear Free” will take place on the 6th of August (Peace Vigil at the Peace Pole from 11am, Public Debate in Archway 3 from 5:15pm).

Exhibition Venue: The Otago University Link (Between the university central library and the university food-court. Entrance across the road from the Otago Museum)
August 5 (mon) – 9 (fri)

ENDS

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