1. Journal

　Professor Kihara-Hunt and her students and ACUNS Tokyo Office Event Staff Ms. Erika Frey join the participants from all over the world in the opening reception.

　In Switzerland, concerts are held in magnificent auditoriums but also outdoors for villagers to attend and hear. Here is one of the concerts just held in the town of Wadenswil I went yesterday. About 100 people came and, alas, most of them turned out to be more than 60 years old. It`s an aging society here just like Japan. But, Switzerland is accepting foreigners who now constitute more than 30 percent of the population.

　According to a report filed by Susan Manuel of PASSBLUE, China`s influence on the process of constructing the new structure of UN peace and security architecture in growing. Please click here her report.

　As IOM’s current Director General, William Lacy Swing, steps down after completing the second of two five-year terms, the Special Council`s decisive rejection of the American candidate, Ken Isaacs, in the first round of voting, signaled a growing number of nations are no longer prepared to indefinitely defer to the power of the United States when human rights and values are assaulted by the current US Administration.

　CCCPA, in collaboration with the German Center for International Peace Operations (ZIF) organized a three-day peer coaching training workshop on “Mediation and Diplomacy” from 26-28 June 2018. The workshop aimed to enhance Arab and African capacities, at the regional and continental levels in mediation through sharing experience and best practices.

　Senior Officials of African Union and League of Arab States attended the workshop and heard a Discourse by President of Global Peacebuilding Association of Japan (GPAJ) Professor S. Hasegawa who stressed the importance of recognizing that Egyptian Civilization preceded two millennium the Civilizations that started in Greece and China.

　Senior Officials of African Union and League of Arab States attended the workshop and heard a Discourse by President of Global Peacebuilding Association of Japan (GPAJ) Professor S. Hasegawa on “Philosophy of Peacebuilding: East and West.”

　At the IAB meeting chaired by Professor Hasegawa, CCCPA Director General Ashraf Swelam explained the expansion geographical area and nature of CCCPA activities include the Arab region and more contemporary issues such as preventing radicalization and extremism, combatting human trafficking and smuggling of migrants, integrated DDR and women, peace and security.

　The CCCPA Advisory Board meeting held on 26 June was chaired by Professor Sukehiro Hasegawa, former Special Representative of the UN Secretary General to Timor-Leste, and attended by Ms. Mary Chinery-Hesse, former Deputy-Director General of the International Labor Organization, Ambassador Mona Omar, former Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Ambassador Aly Erfan, former advisor to the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States and Professor of Practice at the American University in Cairo.

　Click here for Rambcharan`s views and suggestions.

　Ambassador Nikki Haley announced that the United States is withdrawing from the U.N. Human Rights Council, calling it “an organization that is not worthy of its name.” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, appeared alongside Haley at the State Department.

　UN report on improving the security of all peacekeepers is viewed as pushing overwhelming and aggressive operations making the UN party to conflict and potentially undermining the security of both UN personnel and the civilians they are meant to protect. Here is her article.

　António Guterres also calls for strong partnerships beyond the United Nations and a broad and inclusive approach with international financial institutions including the World Bank, and other multilateral donors, the business community, civil society and local actors.

　Ms. Shoko Noda, UN Resident Coordinator and Resident Representative for UNDP in the Maldives has been featured on the “People” column of Asahi Newspaper. In the article, Ms. Noda talks about how she became interested to work for the UN as well as introducing her current work in the Maldives. You can read her article (in Japanese) here.

　In their discussion of protection of civilians (POC) issues, East Asian groups examined the Kigali Principle and Cruz Report, and recommended that four countries should strengthen the coordination of their pre-deployment and on-site POC activities while noting progress made by the annual Khan Quest operations exercise in Mongolia.

　Ms. Kaoru Nemoto, United Nations Information Centre Director, visited the Maldives from 10 to 16 March 2018, observing the frontlines of climate change adaptation and mitigation. She also met with the Resident Coordinator, Ms. Shoko Noda, and reported on the impacts of climate change to the people of the Maldives, including unpredictable weather patterns and rising sea levels. Ms. Nemoto’s reports on Huffpost Japan (in Japanese) can be read from here.

　At the request of Mr. Seishiro ETO, Chairman of both Committees, the President of the Global Peacebuilding Association of Japan explained the development of UN reform efforts carried out by Secretaries-General of the United Nations, Boutros Boutros-Ghali, Kofi Annan, Ban Ki-moon and António Guterres.

　Mr. Kitatani passed away at 6:00 a.m. April 6, 2018 in Tokyo with his wife, Akiko, at his side.　The funeral took place at the Minato Citizens’ Funeral Hall “Yasuragi Kaikan” in Minami Aoyama, Tokyo, at 11:30 a.m. on Monday, April 9. Mr. Kitatani was 86 and 6 months old and was survived by Akiko, his wife of 56 years, his twin sons Jun and Ken, their wives Nicole and Nina (Mami) and Jun and Nicole’s two children, Noah and Laila.

　Mr. Kitatani passed away at 6:00 a.m. April 6, 2018 in Tokyo with his wife, Akiko, at his side.　The funeral will take place at the Minato Citizens’ Funeral Hall “Yasuragi Kaikan” in Minami Aoyama, Tokyo, at 11:30 a.m. on Monday, April 9.