Young trees from Hiroshima planted at UN as symbol of peacebuilding
NEW YORK (Kyodo) -- Two saplings from Hiroshima were planted Monday at the United Nations in New York as a symbol of global peacebuilding efforts as this year marks the 80th anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombings of Japan as well as the establishment of the world body.
Izumi Nakamitsu, U.N. undersecretary general for disarmament affairs, said during a planting ceremony that the young persimmon trees grew from seeds that survived the 1945 nuclear attack on the Japanese city and she hopes they will endure for another 80 years and beyond.
Describing the trees as "a symbol of peace" and "resilience," Nakamitsu also said, "What we all need to remember is that we can make peace and build peace if we are together."
Harold Agyeman, Ghana's top U.N. envoy who chairs a panel related to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, said he hopes the trees will be "a symbol of our united resolve and determined aspiration to make the United Nations a pillar of hope for the needs of the peoples of the world during our times."
Agyeman heads the preparatory committee for next year's U.N. conference to review the implementation of the treaty.
Kazuyuki Yamazaki, Japan's ambassador to the United Nations, also attended the ceremony.
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