As UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon observes, “Nuclear disarmament is one of the greatest legacies we can pass on to future generations.”

This September 26^th, 2014 marks the first observance of the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons as designated by the United Nations. In honour of this day, the UN will be holding commemorative events both at its headquarters in New York and at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.

From local initiatives to international ceremonies, individuals and organizations in support of a nuclear weapon-free world will come together this Friday September 26th to educate the public on the social and economic costs of nuclear weapons, reassert their conviction for total nuclear disarmament, and advocate for political action towards abolishing nuclear weapon use and production.

Also to commemorate this day, the Soka Gakkai International Association of Canada (SGI) in collaboration with the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) will be running an anti-nuclear exhibition called “Everything You Treasure – For a World Free of Nuclear Weapons”  in Ottawa as part of the Ottawa Peace Festival. The exhibition, which runs from September 26 to 28, explores issues such as human security and sustainability, political, economic, and other perspectives on the nuclear weapons issue, and how nuclear disarmament can be achieved. For more information, visit the exhibition’s website.

Photo credit: CC BY 2.0 image “paper cranes” courtesy of . anna . on flickr