Jena once again flies the flag for peace and against nuclear weapons

Wars, climate change and a global threat to democracies: it is against this backdrop that the Mayors for Peace Flag Day takes place on July 8th. Once again this year, around 600 cities in Germany will be raising the Mayors for Peace flag in front of their town halls to send a clear signal against wars and for a peaceful world without nuclear weapons. In Jena, too, the flag of the global alliance will once again be flying in front of the town hall at Am Anger 15.

According to the latest annual report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), the number of nuclear warheads worldwide has fallen to an estimated 12,121. The number of warheads kept on high alert has risen to around 2,100. Nine countries have nuclear weapons, with the USA and Russia possessing the most of the weapons that are acutely ready for use. China is rapidly expanding its nuclear arsenal. SIPRI sees efforts to modernize stocks in all nuclear-armed states.

In addition, the ongoing Russian war of aggression against Ukraine is accompanied by Russia's withdrawal from international treaties, such as the New START Treaty, which was extended for five years in 2021 and regulates the limitation of strategic nuclear weapons between the USA and Russia, and the CTBT (Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty).

What is Flag Day

On Flag Day, Mayors for Peace commemorates a legal opinion issued by the International Court of Justice in The Hague on July 8, 1996, which found that the threat of use and the use of nuclear weapons generally violate international law. The Court also stated that there is an obligation under international law "to conduct and conclude negotiations in good faith leading to nuclear disarmament in all its aspects under strict and effective international control."

Who are the Mayors for Peace?

The Mayors for Peace organization was founded in 1982 by the Mayor of Hiroshima. The global network is primarily committed to the abolition of nuclear weapons, but also addresses current issues in order to discuss ways of peaceful coexistence. More than 8,390 cities in 166 countries belong to the network, including 895 cities in Germany. Around 600 cities in Germany are taking part in Flag Day this year.