Japanese Trade Union Confederation (RENGO)

Call for Nuclear Disarmament at UN General Assembly Hall

RENGO/GENSUIKIN/KAKKIN "Action for Nuclear Weapons Abolition in New York"

From May 1st to May 4th, the three organizations of RENGO, GENSUIKIN (Japan Congress Against A- and H-Bombs), and KAKKIN (National Council for Peace and Against Nuclear Weapons) sent the "Action for Nuclear Weapons Abolition in New York" delegation consisting of 66 members to urge the global community to abolish all nuclear arms in conjunction with the 2005 Review Conference of the Parties to the Nuclear Weapons Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York from May 1st.

On May 3rd, RENGO organized an international trade union seminar (Building a Nuclear-Free, Secure and Peaceful World: A dialogue with trade unions on the challenges, options and strategies) in conjunction with the ICFTU (International Confederation of Free Trade Unions), which was aimed at the abolition of ¡¡nuclear weapons and attracted 120 participants from trade unions and NGOs from 13 countries.
On May 4th, RENGO General Secretary Tadayoshi Kusano gave a speech at the United Nations General Assembly Hall representing these three organizations. Calling for the abolition of nuclear weapons, he reported on their "10 million Signature Collecting Campaign to Demand the Abolition of Nuclear Weapons." He then hand delivered a portion of the 8.5 million collected signatures to the President of the 2005 Review Conference Mr. Sérgio de Queiroz Duarte at the podium of the General Assembly Hall. This is the first time that any Japanese trade union leader delivered a speech at the United Nations General Assembly Hall.