12 April 2014 - Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert F. del Rosario led the Philippine delegation at the 8th Non-Proliferation and Disarmament Initiative (NPDI) Ministerial Meeting held on April 12 and hosted by the Government of Japan.

The NPDI is a ministerial-level, cross-regional group formed within the framework of the 2010 Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference (NPT RevCon). NPDI seeks to realize the vision of a “world free from nuclear weapons” through advancing nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament processes. The Philippines joined the Initiative in September 2013, building upon the country’s successful Presidency of the 2010 NPT RevCon.

The historic city of Hiroshima – the first city to suffer the consequences of the use of nuclear weapons and also the hometown of Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida – played host to this year’s Ministerial Meeting. Secretary Del Rosario, along with the Foreign Ministers and Ambassadors of the other 11 NPDI members, had the opportunity to pay their respects to the victims of the bombing at the Cenotaph in the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park. The ministers and ambassadors also toured the Peace Memorial Museum and listened to the testimony of a hibakusha or atomic bomb survivor.

At the Ministerial Meeting, Secretary Del Rosario lauded the choice of Hiroshima as the host, noting that its rise from the horrors of war served as an inspiration. He likewise called for the establishment of a Middle East Zone Free of Nuclear Weapons and other weapons of mass destruction, the highlighting of the humanitarian impact of nuclear weapons, and the strengthening of relevant international legal instruments on nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament.

 “I assure you that the Philippines remains deeply committed to working with all of our partners in the NPDI in building a world without the haunting specter of nuclear weapons – a  world where people live a life of dignity, security and enduring peace,” Secretary Del Rosario said in closing.

The 8th NPDI Ministerial Meeting concluded with the member states endorsing six working papers on a wide range of nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament issues to the NPT Preparatory Committee Meeting, and adopting the Hiroshima Joint Ministerial Statement which underscored the priorities of the group in achieving their collective goal of a nuclear weapons-free world. END