UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has planted a sapling from a ginkgo tree that survived the 1945 atomic bombing of Hiroshima, as a symbol of hope for a nuclear-free world. Ban attended a ceremony at the United Nations Office in Geneva, Switzerland, yesterday. <br/><br/>The UN Chief described the sapling as a symbol of resilience and peace. He said that as the tree blossoms, it will be a vivid reminder of how the hibakusha, or atomic-bomb survivors, have transformed the tragedy into a message of hope for the world. <br/><br/>The Ambassador at the Permanent Mission of Japan in Geneva, Junichi Ihara, also attended the ceremony. Ihara said the tree has reminded him that Japan has a moral obligation to realize a world without nuclear weapons.<br/><br/>The 150-centimeter tall sapling came from a seed of a ginkgo tree that was near the epicenter of the blast on August 6th, 1945, and is still there. Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui donated the sapling to the UN European headquarters when he visited Geneva in May. Since then, its height has increased 5-fold.