Meeting with senior diplomats, experts and scholars
25 December 2024/Ulaanbaatar/Mongolia
ABCP President Most Ven. Khansur Khamba, Gabju D. Choijamt and Secretary General, Most Ven. Da Lama Kh. Byambajav on 25 December had an informal meeting with senior Mongolian diplomats, experts and scholars.
Member of Parliament and former Foreign Minister D. Tsgotbaatar, former Foreign Minister L. Erdenechuluun, Dr. D. Munkbat, Director, College of Politics and international relations, Dr. D. Zolboo, Director, and Dr. D. Batsaikhan, Senior Fellow of the Institute of International Studies, Mongolian Academy of Sciences, Ven. D. Niamsambuu and Ven. M. Gankhuyag, Political scientist D. Bayarkhuu, Buddhist scholar Ts. Tsedendamba and Scholar R. Bold took part in the informal meeting.
ABCP President, Most Ven. Gabju D. Choijamt made a brief remark covering the past, present and future of the Asian Buddhists Conference for Peace, an international NGO, with consultative statues with ECOSOC and ABCP Secretary General made a presentation on ABCP and its activities from 2017 to today, when the ABCP Executive Council met in Delhi and decided to rejuvenate and revive the activities of the organization that had slowed down considerably.
The speakers in the informal meeting noted the contribution of ABCP to global peace and security, and pointed out that it should be more pro-active in issuing statements and appeals in relation to critical international situations that arise, especially today when the threat of a global conflagration has become much more imminent. Some of the speakers expressed their interest in collaborating with ABCP, while some others noted the importance of the organization from the standpoint of Mongolia’s foreign policy, especially in terms of promoting soft power.
ABCP HQ would like to thank the Gandantegchenling Monastery – Mongolia National Center I of ABCP, for the opportunity to use the Gandan monastery facility for the holding of the informal meeting, and of course the senior diplomats, experts and scholars in sparing their time to share their views and thoughts on the future of ABCP.
ABCP Congratulates Nihon Hidankyo – the 2024 Nobel Peace Laureate
27 December 2024/Ulaanbaatar/Mongolia
Japan Religious Persons Council for Peace, the parent organization of the ABCP Japan National Center, has maintained a cooperative relationship for years with Nihon Hidankyo, the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize 2024.
Founded in 1956, the local association of survivors of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, also known as Hibakusha in Japanese, along with victims of nuclear weapons tests in the Pacific formed The Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations, shortened in Japanese to Nihon Hidankyo. This grassroots movement soon became the largest and most widely representative Hibakusha organization in Japan.
Two American atomic bombs were dropped over Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945, which killed approximately 120,000 people. A comparable number died later of burn and radiation injuries. It is estimated that 650,000 people survived the attacks and their fate was long concealed and ignored until the foundation Nihon Hidankyo.
The Japan ABCP National Center has been conducting movements for nuclear disarmament and the pursuit of peace in Hiroshima, Nagasaki and New York and Ven. Kyokey Ono, the center’s International Relations Officer and Chief Priest of Fujisan Daijobou, from Nichiren-shu in Yokosuka-shi, Kanagawa, Japan.
“Nihon Hidankyo is receiving the Peace Prize for its efforts to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons and for demonstrating through witness testimony that nuclear weapons must never be used again’ according to the official Press Release of the Norwegian Nobel Committee.
ABCP since its foundation in June 1970, through its National Centers, has been raising its voice for nuclear disarmament, against the arms race and for world peace and security.
Most Ven. D. Choijamts, ABCP President, on 14 October 2024, sent a message to Nihon Hidankyo soon after the announcement that it has been awarded the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize “for its efforts to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons and for demonstrating through witness testimony that nuclear weapons must never be used again.”
The ABCP HQ received a reply message from Nihon Hidankyo thanking ABCP for the message. It also received reaction from ABCP National Centers.
The Japan ABCP National Center it its mail thanked the ABCP President for the congratulatory message, further noting “We have translated it (the congratulatory message into Japanese and already distributed it to all members of the ABCP Japan Center. Additionally, it will be featured in our monthly publication along with a copy of the original PDF.”
Mukunda Bista, Secretary of the Nepal ABCP National Center in his mail noted “Thank you for sharing this inspiring news. It is a profound pleasure to learn that Nihon Hidankyo has been honored with the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of their noble efforts toward a world free of nuclear weapons. The ABCP Nepal Chapter joins in celebrating this extraordinary achievement,” and this feeling was joined also by the Bhutan, Bangladesh and India ABCP National Centers.
Images: Ven. Kyokey Ono in Oslo at the Nobel Peace Center and during the Nobel prize awarding ceremony, (Images courtesy of Ven. Kyokey Ono) and the Congratulatory message to Nihon Hidankyo from Most Ven. D. Choijamts, President of ABCP.
