The students, aged 15 to 18, were selected as peace ambassadors by a Nagasaki-based civic organization. They met with Carolyne-Melanie Regimbal, chief of service at the U.N. Office for Disarmament Affairs' Geneva branch, to present their case.
"A world without nuclear weapons is a goal that should be shared by all humanity," said Kosaku Okimoto, a 16-year-old student from Hiroshima, during the meeting.
The delegation submitted 96,428 signatures collected across Japan, bringing the total gathered through this initiative to over 2.7 million since its inception in 1998.
Regimbal acknowledged the students' efforts, saying, "Please continue to raise your voice. We are listening." She emphasized the ongoing nature of disarmament discussions, noting that all parties involved aim to prevent a recurrence of the events in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
The peace messenger initiative was established in response to nuclear tests conducted by India and Pakistan in 1998. It continues to serve as a platform for advocating global nuclear disarmament.
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