Sukehiro Hasegawa, President of the Global Peacebuilding Association of Japan, received the Foreign Minister’s Commendation on August 10th. As a former Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General (Timor-Leste), he was commended for his contribution to peacebuilding and political stability in the country, as well as his contribution to the academic development of peacebuilding and international cooperation. Congratulations to our association.

　In 2002, right after independence, Mr. Hasegawa was assigned to Timor-Leste and served as the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General to the UN Support Mission in East Timor (UNMISET), the United Nations Office in Timor-Leste (UNOTIL), and the United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste (UNMIT). Since then, Mr. Hasegawa was appointed as a special adviser to President Ramos-Horta and former President and Prime Minister Xanana Gusmão, and was invited to the ceremony for the 20th anniversary of independence in May this year.

　Many people have expressed their joy at Mr. Hasegawa receiving the Foreign Minister’s Award from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as an individual but also as an association as well. (Takaaki MIZUNO, member of the Board of Directors, GPAJ)