SGI and Nuclear Age Peace Foundation Cohost Symposium

On March 12 and 13, the SGI (Soka Gakkai International) and the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation (NAPF) cohosted the Choose Hope Symposium in Santa Barbara, CA, USA. The symposium was held to honor the legacies of David Krieger, one of the founders of NAPF who also served as its president, and President Daisaku Ikeda—coauthors of the dialogue Choose Hope.

On the first day, Annie Jacobsen, journalist and author of Nuclear War: A Scenario, delivered the keynote address, stressing the importance of taking action to abolish nuclear weapons. A panel discussion on the current challenges and opportunities in nuclear disarmament followed. Panelists were Richard Falk, professor emeritus at Princeton University, Jimmy Hara, vice chair of the board of NAPF, Ivana Nikolić Hughes, NAPF president, Peter Kuznick, professor at the American University and director of the university’s Nuclear Studies Institute, and Melissa Parke, executive director of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN). A video testimony from Masako Wada, assistant secretary general of Nihon Hidankyo, was also screened.    

The second day of the symposium featured three panel discussions addressing themes from nuclear deterrence to disarmament, nuclear justice and youth engagement in creating a world free from nuclear weapons.