On July 4th, 2015 at a seminar held in Tokyo, Professor Masako Yonekawa of Rikkyo University made a detailed briefing about the political factors that impacted humanitarian assistance as she spoke to Japanese students who are participating in the JCK youth forum in Korea in September 2015.
Please click here for the content of the presentations made at the JCK seminar and the statements issued by Japanese political leaders, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yohei Kono in 1993, Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama in 1995, Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto in 1996 and other Prime Ministers in subsequent years.
At an international symposium organized by the Academic Council on UN System (ACUNS) on East Asian contributions to UN peace operations held in Geneva on 15th June 2015, former SRSG Professor Sukehiro Hasegawa informed the participants about the past, present and future of Japan’s contributions to UN peace operations. Please click here for the full text.
Mr. Shigeki Takizaki, Deputy Director-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan made an informative presentation on territorial disputes in the South China Sea. Both island and maritime claims are made by several states including the People’s Republic of China, the Republic of China (Taiwan), Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam. Their disputes concern in particular both the Spratly and the Paracel islands. The interests of different nations include securing fishing areas around the archipelagos; the potential exploitation of crude oil and natural gas under the waters of various parts of the South China Sea.
Professor Kazuhiko Togo of Kyoto Sangyo University explained to selected Japanese participants of JCK Youth Forum to be held in Gyeongju, South Korea, in September 2015. He explained how Japan ascended into peaks in its position in the international community after the victories in Japan`s wars again China and Russia and lost all its achievements at the end of World War II in 1945.
At a television talk on Japanese participation in UN peacekeeping operations, Professor Hasegawa, former Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Timor-Leste, emphasized the importance of having a Security Council resolution authorizing any particular security operation. Please click here (summary text) for his views.
On 11th July 2015, Mr. Shigeki Takizaki will speak about the challenges for peacebuilding in the South China Sea. After his speech, Ms. Ai Kihara-Hunt will make a presentation on the individual criminal accountability of the UN Police. The provisional program of this seminar can be found here. If you are interested in participating in this seminar, please send your message to Professor Katsumi Ishizuka (石塚 勝美), Secretary-General of the Global Peacebuilding Forum of Japan (ishizuka@kyoei.ac.jp).
Chairman of the High Level Independent Panel on UN Peace Operations, former President José Ramos-Horta was welcomed by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on 19 June 2015.
At a working lunch hosted by Mr. Satsuki Eda, Supreme Adviser of DPJ and former Minister of Justice, Chair of UN Panel on Peace Operations José Ramos-Horta explained the outcome of its consultations and reviews of UN peace operations.
Ambassador Oshima in his one-hour presentation to the participants of a peacebuilding seminar held at Hosei University on May 30, 2015 appraised some important achievements made in the ‘Outcome Document’ of September 2005, on the occasion of the summit meeting commemorating the UN 50th anniversary. They included the establishment of Peace-building Commission (PBC), the Human Rights Council (UNHRC), and the formal launching of new concepts such as ‘Responsibility to Protect’ and ‘Human Security’. (Click here for the rest.)
Zhang Guihong is a senior research professor of the Institute of International Studies at Fudan University, a leading center of research on China’s emerging role on the world stage. The Institute contains a number of research centers covering the various regions of the world, as well as the Centre for Chinese Foreign Policy Studies. Click here his PowerPoint slides on China’s participation and contributions to UN peace operations.
At a symposium organized by ACUNS and held in the Library Hall of the UN Office in Geneva on 15 June 2015, Chinese Ambassador WU Hailong, Korean Ambassador CHOI Seokyoung and Japanese Ambassador Misako Kaji presented overviews of their countries’ contributions to UN peace operations.
Thakur pointed out the tension that existed between ground and global realities of power, on the one hand, and local and international justice, on the other. These two essentially normative concepts are connected to peace.
South Korean exerts including Professor Intaek Hyun, former Minister of Unification, ROK, Professor Kyu-duk Hong, KACUNS President, and Professor Heung-Soon Park of Sun Moon University explained about the human rights situation in North Korea to the participants of an ACUNS panel meeting that took place in the capital city of global justice, The Hague, on 12 June 2015.
A pre-launch discussion, organized by Richard Ponzio, Head of the Global Governance Program, The Hague Institute for Global Justice and Project Director, Commission on Global Security, Justice & Governance, took place at the Hague Institute of Global Justice on 11 June 2015. Five experts examined the findings and recommendations of the Commission. Click here more about the pre-launch meeting.
The United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations started started the UN Senior Mission Leaders (SML) training course in Cairo on 31 May 2015. The course is organised jointly by DPKO and the Cairo Regional Center for Training on Conflict Resolution and Peacekeeping in Africa and is supported by the Governments of Egypt and Japan.
In his meeting with Professor Hasegawa, Timor-Leste Interior Minister Longuinhos Monteiro explained that there was no internal security threat in Timor-Leste as the spirit of democratic governance has firmly been established.
During his visit to Timor-Leste from 20 to 23 May, Professor Sukehiro Hasegawa, former Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations for Timor-Leste, met with former President Xanana Gusmão who is currently Mentoring Minister and Minister for Strategic Planning and Investment. President Gusmão and Professor Hasegawa talked for nearly two hours about various developments taking place in Timor-Leste and the world.
Mr. Toshihiro Nakamura, Co-founder and CEO of the KOPERNIK and his staff met with Professor Sukehiro Hasegawa and explained how the KOPERNIK works by sourcing, connecting & reinvesting in simple technology for poor people. According to Mr. Nakamura, the value of KOPERNIK technology transfer to poor people has been growing at a rapid rate of 45 per cent a year since the Kopernik was established 5 years ago, Among staff of 80 people, five Australian volunteers are contributing a great deal to the planning and management of Kopernik operations. Please click here to access the KOPERNIK homepage.