IPPNW-GLO was pleased to welcome a group of high school students from the Hiroshima and Nagasaki Peace Messengers program to its office on 2 September, 2026 for a fruitful discussion with our Director, Jienna Foster on nuclear disarmament. They were visiting on their way to deliver their 63,000-signature petition to end nuclear weapons to the United Nations Office in Geneva (UNOG).
The Hiroshima and Nagasaki Peace Messengers is an advocacy group working for nuclear abolition. It is made up of high school students from across Japan. In their presentation to the Geneva Liaison Office, the students shared the projects they have led, including a student signature campaign, as well as their personal stories on how they became interested in this work.
Jienna Foster, the IPPNW-GLO director, spoke about IPPNW’s experience in Geneva, highlighting its long history as a prominent voice led by the health community with the purpose of drawing attention to the threat of nuclear war, as well as the role of younger generations in this vital movement. She emphasized the importance of educating oneself and others, both locally and globally, and challenged the students to keep pursuing peace actively as leaders of the next generation.
After presentations from both, Jienna and the students shared their perspectives on long-standing nuclear issues and geopolitical situations. Not only did the exchange give both sides new ideas for engagement, it also facilitated sharing ideas on the possible next steps collectively as our civil society organizations, and the general public as a whole, tackle this critical issue together.
IPPNW remains committed to working with young people and civil society partners to address the abolition of nuclear weapons. To learn more about our work or if you are an educator interested in IPPNW’s youth advocacy and education, contact us at ippnwglo@ippnw.org or our LinkedIn page.