Drawing strength from the wisdom of hibakusha

Drawing strength from the wisdom of hibakusha | Daily Tribune

Eighty years ago, the world changed forever.

In a single moment, Hiroshima was engulfed in flames. Tens of thousands of lives were lost. A city was reduced to ruins. And humanity crossed a threshold from which there could be no return.

On this 80th anniversary, we remember those who perished. We stand with the families who carry their memory.

And we honor the brave hibakusha — the survivors — whose voices have become a moral force for peace. While their numbers grow smaller each year, their testimony — and their eternal message of peace — will never leave us.

In the aftermath of the atomic bombing, many believed Hiroshima would never recover and that nothing would grow again. But the people of this city proved otherwise.

You, the people of Hiroshima, didn’t just rebuild a city. You rebuilt hope. You nurtured a vision of a world without nuclear weapons. And you shared that vision with the world.

In May, saplings grown from seeds of trees that survived the atomic bombing were planted at United Nations Headquarters in New York. They are more than symbols of survival. They are living testaments to the strength of the human spirit — and of our shared duty to protect future generations from the horrors of nuclear annihilation.

This year also marks the 80th anniversary of the United Nations, and we are reminded why the UN was created: to prevent war, to uphold human dignity, and to ensure the tragedies of the past are never repeated.

Yet, today the risk of nuclear conflict is growing. Trust is eroding. Geopolitical divisions are widening. And the very weapons that brought such devastation to Hiroshima and Nagasaki are once again being treated as tools of coercion.

Yet, there are signs of hope.

Last year, the Japanese organization Nihon Hidankyo — which represents the survivors of the Nagasaki and Hiroshima bombings — was awarded the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize for its tireless work in raising awareness about this critical issue.

And in the Pact for the Future, adopted last year, countries re-committed to a world free of nuclear weapons.

But commitments must lead to real change by strengthening the global disarmament regime — in particular, the Treaty on Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, complemented by the momentum created by the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.

Countries must draw strength from the resilience of Hiroshima and from the wisdom of the hibakusha.

Let’s work to eradicate the threat of nuclear weapons by eradicating the weapons themselves.

And let’s keep our pledge to the hibakusha, and ensure that their testimony and message of peace is carried forward. Remembering the past is about protecting and building peace today — and in the future.

(United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ message to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial on the 80th Anniversary of the Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima, as delivered by Under-Secretary-General Izumi Nakamitsu, on 6 August 2025.)