Golden Week Greetings (01/05/2023)
Golden Week greetings from my daughter Erika with her cat. May 1, 2023, in Switzerland.
1. Journal
Reflection on UNV Electoral Assistance Operations in Cambodia
In anticipation of the 30th Anniversary Commemoration of the Late UNV Nakata Atsuhiro, UNV interviewed Professor Sukehiro HASEGAWA, Former Deputy Executive Coordinator of the UN Volunteers Programme. For more details of the interview, please click here.
My Tombstone carved “the aspiration of peacebuilding is the spirit of harmony.” (04/04/2023)
As part of the final task of my life, I have made my tombstone. As a kokorozashi, I carved “the aspiration of peacebuilding is the spirit of harmony.” Mr. Stephen Kinloch and Mr. Ken Inoue, who have been engaged in peacebuilding activities worldwide as staff members of the United Nations, visited the site.
Mr. AKASHI Yasushi and Professor Hasegawa had lunch with New UNU Rector MARWALA in Tokyo. (24/03/2023)
Mr. AKASHI Yasushi, former Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations, hosted a lunch meeting with Professor Tshilidzi MARWALA, new Rector of the UN University, on March 24, 2023, in Tokyo. Also participating in the meeting was Professor HASEGAWA Sukehiro. They discussed how the UN University was established in 1972 and evolved over the last 50 years. Rector MARWALA informed his intention to raise the profile of the UN University in Japan as well as the world, particularly in Africa.
Mr. Motoo NOGUCHI spoke about the implications of the implications of the arrest warrant for Putin. (21/03/2023)
Mr. Motoo NOGUCHI, a member of the Board of Directors of the Global Peacebuilding Association of Japan (GPAJ), a Former Japanese Ambassador for International Judicial Cooperation, and a member of the Panel of Experts for the Election of Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), spoke about the implications of the arrest warrant for Russian President Putin issued by ICC at the BS Fuji Prime News on 20 March 2023. The main points are shown here.
Arbenita Sopaj: “Hiroshima G7 summit: A pivotal moment for Japan’s diplomacy” (20/03/2023)
Arbenita Sopaj, a member of the Board of Directors of the Global Peacebuilding Association, and External Relations Officer of the ACUNS Tokyo Liaison Office, highlights the pivotal role Japan can play at the Hiroshima G7 Summit. Please click here for her article in Japan Today on March 18, 2023.
UN University Rector David Malone met with Yasushi AKASHI and Sukehiro HASEGAWA. (08/02/2023)
UN University Rector David MALONE held a talk with GPAJ Special Advisor Yasushi AKASHI and President Sukehiro HASEGAWA at the International House of Japan in Tokyo before his retirement on 28 February, and his successor, Professor Tshilidzi MARWALA, commences his work on 1 March 2023.
Professor HOSHINO Toshiya was appointed as a member of the United Nations Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) (10/01/2023)
Professor HOSHINO Toshiya, Councilor of the Kyoto Peace Center and frequent participant of the GPAJ seminars, was appointed as a member of the United Nations Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) on 20 December 2022. He served as Japan`s Ambassador to the United Nations from 2017 to 2020. As he started his work with JIU in January 2023, he said that while the existence of the United Nations is being tested, based on his experience in academic research on the United Nations system and the practical work of United Nations diplomacy. He would also carry out his duties without prejudice and from a fair and neutral standpoint while working hard to make appropriate analyses, evaluations, and proposals, envisioning the ideal United Nations system in the new era.
GPAJ YEAR-END GET-TOGETHER (28/12/2022)
Members of the Global Peacebuilding Association of Japan had a year-end lunch in Hiroo, Shibuya City in Tokyo on December 28 and visited a temple, Showin-Ji.
Merry Christmas 2022 (08/12/2022)
Merry Christmas from Corinne, Sofie and Cedric Werberich, joined by Anita and Suki in Germany.
Mr. KANO Takehiro discussed Japan’s international peace cooperation activities with Professor Hasegawa. (09/11/2022)
Mr. KANO Takehiro, Director-General of the International Peace Cooperation Headquarters, Cabinet Office of the Government of Japan, met with Professor HASEGAWA Sukehiro and discussed the current and future directions of Japan`s international peace cooperation activities.
Timor-Leste admitted ASEAN membership. (11/11/2022)
In Phnom Penh, ASEAN admitted Timor-Leste today “in principle…
Timorese government officials visited Former SRSG Hasegawa. (08/10/2022)
Timorese government officials visited Former Special Representative of the Secretary-General to Timor-Leste Hasegawa and briefed him about the economic and social situation in the country. They stressed the need to develop alternative economy as the country cannot depend on the petroleum resources forever. Seen in this photo are from right Mr. Hernani Soares, General Director for Administration and Finance of the Ministry of High Education, Science and Culture, Commissioner Antonio Freitas of the Civil Service Commission and Agostinho Letencio de Deus, Director General of the National Institute of Public Administration (INAP). Reported by Masakuni Tanimoto Secretary-General of the Global Peacebuilding Association of Japan.
KISHIDA urges and BIDEN supports UN Security Council reform at the UN General Assembly (20-21/09/2022)
The Security Council reform process took its new turn as Japanese Prime Minister Fumiko Kishida urged on 20 September the starting of negotiation based on draft papers and US President supported on 21 September the idea of increasing the number of both permanent and non-permanent members in the reform Council. Please click here for their statements.
Ambassadors SHINYO and HOSHINO of Japan Advocate a Realistic Approach to UN Security Council Reform (17/09/2022)
Professor Takahiro SHINYO of Kwansei Gakuin University and Professor Toshiya HOSHINO of Osaka University, who have served as Japanese Ambassadors to the United Nations, participated in the panel discussions on United Nations Security Council Reform organized by the Turkish Embassy in Tokyo on September 8. Professor SHINYO proposed to create 6 to 8 semi-permanent members or longer-term non-permanent members with renewable terms of 4-8 years that allows for their re-election. Professor HOSHINO suggested that the resolution stipulating the expansion of the Security council members be submitted to the General Assembly by the end of 2023 for its adoption by September 2025 marking the 60th anniversary of the previous expansion of the non-permanent members of the Security Council in 1965. Please click here to view the details of the proposal for realistic reform of the UN Security Council.
UN Senior Official Takakazu ITO discusses Japan’s leadership role and the growing participation of countries in triangular partnerships to strengthen UN peacekeeping operations. (11/08/2022)
Triangular partnerships are now part of the backbone of United Nations peacekeeping. This was Mr. Ito’s central message during his participation at a recent GPAJ seminar “Japan’s International Peace Cooperation: Past, Present, and Future.” His remarks focused on the growth and benefits of the UN Triangular Partnership Programme (TPP), as well as Japan’s contributions to peacekeeping operations through TPP.
The TPP, which brings together the UN Secretariat, Troop- and Police-Contributing Countries (T/PCCs), and Member States with needed expertise and resources, started out as an engineering training project in East Africa in 2015. Now, seven years later, it has evolved and expanded into a comprehensive training and capacity-building programme, diverse in its themes and regions of operation. This shift is largely due to the growing recognition that TPP is much more than “investments” in the potential deployment of T/PCCs. Rather, they are “enablers” that support T/PCCs to deploy better-trained units and maximize impact in missions.
GPAJ President Hasegawa Receives Foreign Minister’s Commendation
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. (Takaaki MIZUNO, member of the Board of Directors, GPAJ)
Hasegawa advocates strengthening the South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation. (21/07/2022)
At the conference of the Future of the United Nations held at Jindal University in India 0n 20 February 2019, Mr. Sukehiro Hasegawa, President of the Global Peacebuilding Association of Japan suggested in response to Mr. Srimal Fernando`s question that small countries around India should work harder to strengthen the regional organization, SAARC, instead of just fearing India. Click here for the video recording.