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.

　”Best and brightest” university students of Japan are invited to send their applications for their possible participation in the JCK Youth Forum which will be held in South Korea in mid-September. If you are interested, please check here, and also the other article (1) about the preparatory secretariat for the 2015 JCK Youth Forum and (2) about the Youth Forum held last year in Xian, China.

　PKO experts and specialists from Japan, China, Korea and Mongolia held a two-day workshop organized by Friedrich-Ebert Stiftung and the Korean Academic Council on UN System (KACUNS) in Seoul on 29th and 30th April 2015. They discussed how they can strengthen regional cooperation in improving their peacekeeping operations and humanitarian assistance activities. They agreed to establish an East Asian Forum on UN Peace Operations which will be managed by four co-directors: Professor Kyu-dok Hong, President of KACUNS in Republic of Korea, Professor Sukehiro Hasegawa in Japan, Professor Guihong Zhang in China and Col. Shambaljams in Mongolia.

　Mr. Masahiko KIYA has just been appointed Japanese Ambassador to South Sudan. In 2009 and 2010, Mr. Kiya visited Hosei University and delivered lectures twice on Japan’s role in the United Nations. Prior to Ambassador Kiya’s departure for South Sudan, a farewell lunch was hosted by Professor Sukehiro HASEGAWA and participated by MOFA and JICA officials.

　Mr. Hiroto Kiyozumi, the leader of the preparatory secretariat for the 2015 JCK Youth Forum. He will be supported by Ms. Eriko Kawashima, Ms. Kwon Bomi, Ms. Kiyomi Ikenoue, and Ms. Ayaka Mae.

　The Chair of the High Level Independent Panel on UN Peace Operations, Mr. José Ramos-Horta, has written to say that he appreciated the insightful background information and views provided to the Panel as they enabled him and his colleagues to understand better the issues related to UN peace operations from a Japanese perspective. Please find here for summary records of two meetings held with the panel on 26 and 28 January 2015.

　On 19 March 2015, Ambassador Lakhdar Brahimi delivered a keynote speech to start an exchange of views by practitioners and scholars of UN peace operations held at the Palais des Nations in Geneva. The informal consultation meeting was convened by Stephen Browne and Thomas Weiss, co-directors of the Future United Nations Development System (FUNDS) and sponsored by the Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation.

　In his essay, Mr. Ian Martin who served as SRSG and head of UN peace missions in Libya, Nepal, Timor-Leste and other countries wrote that all UN peace operations are political in nature and there is a case for designer missions and expressed his views on the next UN reform.