Summarizing Plenary Session and the Closing Ceremony of the 5th World Conference of Mayors for Peace through Inter-city Solidarity were held on August 9 in Nagasaki. The conference, a global network of cities working towards nuclear abolition, adopted the "Hiroshima-Nagasaki Appeal," pledging to make efforts to turn the 21st century into "a century of humanity." This concluded the discussions that had begun on August 4 in Hiroshima.

As the president of the conference, Mayor Tadatoshi Akiba of Hiroshima read the Appeal at the closing ceremony. The Appeal reflects on the 20th century, "when humans created nuclear weapons that threaten their own existence," and states that "we have confirmed to strive to turn the 21st century into 'a century of humanity.'"

"Century of humanity" is defined as "a century of peace, in which all lives are cherished and which is created through reconciliation and cooperation, reason and conscience." Toward this end, the Appeal urges governments and the United Nations to implement six actions, including efforts for early conclusion of a nuclear weapons ban treaty, and an international movement to address early ratification of the Kyoto Protocol and other environmental issues.

The Appeal lists three areas of focus for the cities, pledging to act in cooperation with their citizens: cooperation with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in abolition to nuclear weapons, multifaceted cooperation through information exchange using the Internet, and promotion of peace education and academic system making of the significance of the A-bomb experience.

Approximately 200 people from 61 cities and two organizations from 27 foreign countries and 44 municipalities in Japan participated in the first conference in this century.