On January 26, the 37th annual peace proposal by Daisaku Ikeda, president of 
the Soka Gakkai International (SGI) Buddhist movement, was released, titled 
"Toward a New Era of Peace and Disarmament: A People-Centered Approach."

The proposal's main theme is the need for concerted effort in disarmament, 
particularly hastening progress toward abolition of nuclear weapons around the 
2017 Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). Ikeda also stresses 
the dangers of emerging Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems (LAWS) and proposes 
the prompt convening of a conference to negotiate a treaty banning these 
weapons.  

Applauding the May 2018 Disarmament Agenda of UN Secretary-General Antonio 
Guterres, Ikeda advocates a shift from seeing security solely in terms of state 
or military security toward a human focus, a people-centered multilateralism 
based on the effort to build a world in which all people can experience 
meaningful security.

He notes how the complexity and scale of global challenges can make youth feel 
that positive change is impossible. He calls on them to resist feelings of 
resignation and "meet the severe challenges of our age as agents of proactive 
and contagious change." 

Ikeda urges youth engagement with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as 
crucial to their achievement. He calls for expansion of the United Nations 
Academic Impact (UNAI) network of universities committed to supporting the SDGs 
and proposes a world conference of such universities in 2020.

Ikeda also welcomes the designation of youth as the focus of the fourth phase 
of the World Programme for Human Rights Education.

Regarding nuclear abolition, he focuses on expanding ratifications of the TPNW 
to achieve its entry into force, and urges the creation of a group of 
like-minded states to deepen the debate and promote ratification - Friends of 
the TPNW, modeled after Friends of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT). He 
advocates that Japan take the lead in this initiative.

He also highlights ICAN's new Cities Appeal and related #ICANSave social media 
initiative.

Looking ahead toward the 2020 Review Conference of the Nuclear 
Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), Ikeda calls for steps such as the removal of 
nuclear warheads from high-alert status. He further proposes that a fourth 
special session of the UN General Assembly devoted to disarmament (SSOD-IV) be 
held in 2021. 
 
Another focus is SDGs concerning water resource management. Ikeda hopes that 
Japan, China and South Korea will work together to support countries in the 
Middle East and Africa where demand for water reuse and desalination is 
growing. 

The Soka Gakkai International (SGI) is a community-based network promoting 
Buddhist humanism and peace with 12 million members. SGI President Daisaku 
Ikeda (1928 - ) has issued peace proposals offering a Buddhist perspective and 
solutions to global problems on January 26 every year since 1983, to 
commemorate the founding of the SGI. See: www.sgi.org


Source: Soka Gakkai International

Contact:
Yuki Kawanaka
Office of Public Information
Soka Gakkai International
Tel: +81-80-5957-4919
E-mail: kawanaka[at]soka.jp