Professor Hongsheng SHENG met with Director General Ambassador William Swing in Geneva during his participation in the Geneva Dialogue of East Asian Scholars with UN and International Organizations held on July 16 and 17, 2018.
At the dialogue held at Palais Wilson in Geneva on 17 July, Human Rights Issues were addressed by United Nations Deputy High Commissioner and discussed with East Asian Scholars (17/07/2018)
Human Rights is NOT in Retreat insisted by Deputy UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Kate Gilmore, while Importance of Universal Periodic Review emphasized by UPR Chief Mr. Gianni MAGAZZENI.
Achim Wennmann, Executive Coordinator, Geneva Peacebuilding Platform, and other Peace and Development Experts present their Perspectives to Asian Scholars (17/07/2018)
Three other speakers were: Robert Watkins, Former Resident Coordinator of the United Nations Operational Activities in Bangladesh, Delidji Eric Degila, Adjunct Professor of International Relations at Benin Ecole Nationale d’Administration, and Mark Downes, Assistant Director and Head of DCAF’s Operations Department contributed to the Geneva Dialogue with their insightful presentations.
Geneva Dialogue Participants gather at the entrance of Palais des Nations after the long day of discussion. (16/07/2018)
From right to left on front row; Ms. Erika FREY, University of Teachers Education Zug; Ms. Reina MOTEGI of the University of Tokyo; Professor Misako TAKIZAWA of Oberlin University; Dr. Ai KIHARA-HUNT, Associate Professor, Graduate Program on Human Security, the University of Tokyo, Deputy Director, Research Center for Sustainable Peace, and Deputy Director, ACUNS Tokyo Office; Ryotaro Takehara of the University of Tokyo.
Second row from left to right: Colonel Amarsaikhan SERDARI, Chief of Special Plans Office of the Mongolian Armed Forces; Professor Takaaki MIZUNO of the Kanda University of International Studies (KUIS); Yasushi KATSUMA, Professor of Waseda University; Ms. Suzuka YAMADA of the University of Tokyo; Ms. Mizuki ARITA of the University of Tokyo; Ms. Moeka TAWADA of the University of Tokyo; Prof. SHENG Hongsheng of Shanghai University of Political Science and Law; Mr. Takashi KAMISHIRO, Head of Field Office Miravalle, UN Verification Mission in Colombia; Professor ZHANG Guihong, Director of the Center for UN Studies, Fudan University and Vice President & Secretary-General, Shanghai UN Research Association.
Third row from left to right: Professor Aygul KULNAZAROVA of Tama University; Ms. Kana YOKOYAMA of the University of Tokyo; Ms. Maja LIECHTI of the University of Tokyo; Mr. Yuki SAITO of the University of Tokyo; Mr. Eisuke KIMURA of the University of Tokyo; and Mr. Simon PANCHAUD of the University of Geneva.
East Asian Scholars’ Dialogue opened by David Chikvaidze, Chef de Cabinet of the Office of Director-General Michael Møller (16/07/2018)
Chikvaidze referred to Geneva as a prime place for human rights with the Human Rights Council located in Geneva and a vibrant place for humanitarian aid, disarmament and trade. He noted that no city had a richer history of collaboration than Geneva.
Geneva Dialogue: Senior Legal Coordinator and Head of Protection Policy Madeline Garlick explains UNHCR role in Protection of Refugees (16/07/2018)
According to Madeline Garlick, addressing challenges around protracted refugees, situation of conflict, finding solutions, responsibility sharing are key conditions for successful refugee protection. People fleeing from persecution should not be penalized for moving illegally. Click here for her full presentation and comments by Asian scholars.
Geneva Dialogue: IOM Director General Ambassador William Swing points to “Mega-trend” in Migration (16/07/2018)
More than one billion people are migrating with nearly 250 million international migrants and some 750 million domestic migrants. Nearly a quarter of the migrants are forced to move while the majority migrates freely and orderly.
East Asian Scholars and Students Visit Disarmament Commission Chamber (16/07/2018)
This former Chamber of the Council of the League of Nations is now used by the UN Disarmament Commission which was first created in 1952 but met rarely until 1978 when the first special session of the General Assembly devoted to disarmament established a successor Disarmament Commission as a subsidiary deliberative body of the Assembly, composed of all Member States of the United Nations.
East Asian Scholars Starts Geneva Dialogue with the UN and International Organizations: Visit to Human Rights Council (16/07/2018)
Thirty-two scholars and students from Japan, China, Korea and Mongolia started their two- day dialogue with senior officials of UNOG, UNHCR, IOM, ICRC, UNHCHR and Geneva Graduate Institute on the theme of Human Rights, Migration and Peacebuilding in a Turbulent Age.
ACUNS 2018 Annual Meetings starts in Rome (12/07/2018)
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.
Concert and Democracy at Village Level in Switzerland (08/07/2018)
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.
UN Budget Committee endorses a reform of the UN which enacts a major cut in UN peacekeeping budget. (02/07/2018)
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.
IOM’s Special Council Session elects Portugal’s Antonio Vitorino over Trump nominee as new IOM Director General. (29/06/2018)
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.
Mediation and Diplomacy Workshop held in Cairo with the participation of Professor Sukehiro Hasegawa, former Special Representative of the Secretary-General (28/06/2018)
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.
German Center for International Peace Operations (ZIF) plays an active role in strengthening cooperation among African and Arab states in addressing the challenges in peace operations. (28/06/2018)
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.
German Center for International Peace Operations (ZIF) and CCCPA hold Peer Coaching “Mediation and Diplomacy” Training Workshop. (26-28/06/2018)
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.”
Cairo International Center for Conflict Resolution, Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding holds its International Advisory Board meeting in Cairo. (26/06/2018)
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 International Advisory Board (IAB) of CCCPA (26/06/2018)
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.
Secretary-General António Guterres can lead the way out of the crisis faced by the United Nations human-rights system. (26/06/2018)
Click here for Rambcharan`s views and suggestions.
The United States Leaves the UN Human Rights Council. (19/06/2018)
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.