Remembering the atomic bomb victims of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

Laying a wreath of yellow and white flowers, CTBTO Executive Secretary Lassina Zerbo joined this week’s solemn ceremony in Hiroshima to remember the victims of the atomic bombs dropped on the Japanese city on 6 August, 1945, and on Nagasaki three days later.

These annual peace remembrance ceremonies not only reflect the horrors of the humanitarian consequences of the use of nuclear weapons, but also provide an opportunity for citizens of all nations to work together to ensure nuclear weapons are never used again.

“As always in the few times I’ve visited Hiroshima, it is with deep feelings for the Hibakusha (survivors) and the city of Hiroshima. Their resilience and fight for peace and harmony are to be commended,” Zerbo wrote in the city’s official visitors’ book.

“Together we will finish what we started. Together we will leave to the generations to come a better world for all.” Before the ceremony, the Executive Secretary visited the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, which houses a permanent exhibition and testimonies of the survivors.