To mark the 2555th Buddha Jayanti, birth anniversary of Lord Buddha, the Government of Nepal on Tuesday conferred the first Gautam Buddha International Peace Award to two Japanese cities–Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
The award has been jointly conferred to Mayors of two cities –Dr Tadatoshi Akiba of Hiroshima and Tomihisa Taue of Nagasaki– by Nepal government in recognition of their significant contributions to peace and non-violence activities.
The award, which carries a citation and a purse of $50,000, will go jointly for their campaign against nuclear arms.
According to Moda Raj Dotel, Secretary at Ministry of Culture, the mayors will be accompanied by two survivors of the 1945 atomic explosions that devastated the two most populous cities back then.
A cabinet meeting held on January 13, 2011 decided to confer the award jointly on the two mayors upon the recommendation of Gautam Buddha International Peace Award Management and Selection Committee. The five-member Selection Committee is chaired by former UN Assistant Secretary General Kul Chandra Gautam.
The mayors of the two cities Hiroshima and Nagasaki, that were completely destroyed by atom bombs during the World War II, have been spearheading the “Mayors for Peace” movement involving more than 4,000 municipalities in the world, including two-third of all Japanese municipalities.
They have been ardent advocates of nuclear non-proliferation, reduction of military expenditure and disarmament. The followers of Buddhism around the world observe Buddha Jayanti with respect and devotion to Buddha. Thousands of devotees have gathered in Lumbini, the birth place of Buddha and other gumbas in the nation to observe this day. On the occasion, Nepal government has declared a national holiday on Tuesday.
