UNITED NATIONS (BNO NEWS) – United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday stood shoulder to shoulder with the survivors of the bombing of Hiroshima, stressing that the time has come to realize a world free of nuclear weapons.

“A more peaceful world can be ours,” Ban Ki-moon said at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony held in Japan. Ban, the first U.N. Secretary-General to take place in the ceremony, was only a year old when the atomic bomb fell on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945, resulting in the deaths of over 200,000.

Ban has taken up the banner of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, and has made it a top priority. He has put forward a five-point plan that includes recommendation on increasing security, verification, establishing a legal framework for nuclear disarmament.

“Our moment has come,” he said, noting recent progress on the issue. He highlighted the need for education regarding disarmament, including translating the testimonies of survivors in the world’s major languages.

“Together, we are on a journey from ground zero to Global Zero – a world free of weapons of mass destruction. That is the only path to a safer world.”

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