This is a gathering of peace activists who are united in opposition to nuclear weapons. The UK remains one of the world’s major nuclear weapon owning countries, possessing at least 225 weapons, primarily based on the Clyde coast at the HM Naval Base. 

Annually, campaigners for nuclear disarmament remember the atomic bombings of Japan in August 1945, giving respect for the hundreds of thousands of victims who lost their lives. 

On August 6, 1945, an American B-29 bomber dropped an atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. This was the first time a nuclear weapon had been deployed in warfare and the bomb immediately killed 80,000 people. Many more would later die as a result of burns, injuries and radiation poisoning. 

Three days later, another atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, with a further 40,000 people dying. Subsequently, the number of fatalities increased significantly due to the catastrophic effects of a nuclear fallout. 

As we mark the 79th anniversary of those horrific events, the risk of nuclear war remains dangerously high. The nine nuclear-armed states are racing ahead with modernising their nuclear arsenals. 

By remembering the people of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, we can remind ourselves that such acts of extreme cruelty must never be allowed to happen again, and we must act to prevent it. 

As the risks of nuclear weapons are increasing, we need to continue the promotion of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. 

It is clear that nuclear weapons are the most inhumane and indiscriminate weapons that have ever been developed. They cause severe environmental damage, as well as undermine global security, and divert vast public resources away from climate action. 

It was seven years ago when history was made at the United Nations when the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons was adopted by 122 nations. This was achieved after a global push to finally and categorically ban nuclear weapons under international law. 

The treaty came in to force in 2021 and it continues to grow in membership with the support of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons. This month, nuclear weapons survivors from around the world will meet in a workshop hosted by the government of Kazakhstan to consider how Nuclear Weapons Free Zones can help respond to the current challenges. 

There are a number of cities, including Glasgow, who have signed the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. Working with other cities, we continue to clearly speak out against nuclear weapons. 

Our efforts to bring about nuclear disarmament can focus on putting pressure on the newly elected UK Government. 

Through being a Nuclear Free Local Authority, Glasgow can continue to work with other local councils to gain support from the UK Government to minimise the risk from nuclear hazards, increase public safety and support clean energy projects. 

We can all send a strong message to the UK Government about the need to sign up to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.