According to UN News, the President of the General Assembly, Abdulla Shahid, announced on Friday, 9 June that Japan along with Ecuador, Malta, Mozambique, and Switzerland had been elected to serve as non-permanent members of the UN Security Council for the period of two years from January 2023 to December 2024 by votes cast by the members of the General Assembly. (Photo: NEWS. UN. ORG)
GPAJ Delegation attended the Inaugural Ceremony of President José Ramos-Horta and the Independence Day Celebration on 19 and 20 May 2022. (19/05/2022)
Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Mr. José Ramos-Horta, was sworn in as President of Timor-Leste on 19 May 2022, ahead of the celebrations marking the 20th anniversary of independence for Asia’s newest country. The delegation led by Professor Sukehiro Hasegawa, former Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, included Professor Takaaki Mizuno of Kanda University of International Studies, Professor Mayumi Yamada of Ritsumeikan University, Professor Takeshi Sato Daimon of Waseda University, Professor Juichi Inada of Senshu University and Ms. Akiko Abe of the Global Peacebuilding Association of Japan (GPAJ). (Photo and Reporter: Akiko ABE)
USG Atul Khare: “Japan’s Contributions to UN Peace Operations” (16-19/05/2022)
United Nations Under-Secretary-General Atul Khare visited Japan and exchanged his views on Japan`s international peace cooperation activities with members of the Diet of Japan in Tokyo on 16 May. He made his lectures at the Kwansei Gakuin University and the Kyoto University of the Arts on 19 May. Please click here for the full texts of his speeches.
“Responding to President Zelensky`s Call for Reforming the United Nations Security Council” by Ambassador Tsuneo Nishida (14/05/2022)
Ambassador Tsuneo stated that it is not the stage where we are just discussing very small details. Why? Because we should not be unrealistic. Are the US, Russia, and China so different? No, they are not different. For example, the democratic US government said that war criminals must be punished. At the same time, the US was not a member of the ICC. We need a special tribunal if we want to punish those who are responsible for these atrocities. Once you have already killed so many people, negotiations are always needed, but we should pursue justice. Do you place Mr. Putin and welcome new permanent members with nuclear power and veto in the next 10 years? This is not acceptable. How people can believe in a reform of the UN with Putin and nuclear weapons there? We are talking about the realistic approach, but these realistic options are not realistic at all. Only to make an extension of what we have agreed upon immediately after World War II. What we are experiencing is not a second Cold War, this is a hot war, a total invasion by a big country into the neighboring country. Are we supposed to agree on some small compromise and say thank you, welcome again? That is not a reform. We are not talking about the past, but the coming generations.
UN Office of the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that 30,000 Ukrainians Going Back Home Every Day (16/04/2022)
According to OCHA, more than 870,000 people who fled abroad since the Russian invasion on 24 February, have now returned to Ukraine, amid concerns about deteriorating food security inside the country. (Photo: UNICEF/Julia Kochetova)
An interactive discussion was held on 9 April 2022 in response to President Zelensky`s Call for Reforming the United Nations Security Council. Participants explored the possibility of inventing A New Global Institution to Prevent an Armed Aggression by A Permanent Member of the UN Security Council (09/04/2022)
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Visit to Hitachi seaside park
Greetings from the Hitachi National Seaside Park we visited in March 2022. From right to left: Elizabeth Gamarra, Ken Inoue (on top), Fujiko Amano, and Sukehiro Hasegawa.
“Post-Genocide Transformation of Rwanda: Critical Review of its Achievements and the Remaining Challenges” by Ambassador Charles Murigande (23/04/2022)
Former Foreign Minister and Ambassador to Japan Charles Murigande of Rwanda to Japan made a critical review of the developments in Rwanda since its genocide in 1994. He was joined by Hiroshi KATO, Former Vice President of Japan International Development Cooperation Agency (JICA) and Professor at the International University of Japan. Please click here for its video recording.
“Current Status and Future of Japan’s International Peace Cooperation Activities” by Mr. Goro MATSUMURA (26/02/2022)
Former General Manager of the North Eastern Army of the Ground Self-Defense Force, Goro Matsumura, presented the current and future prospect of Japan’s international peace cooperation activities, the global trend of partnership peace cooperation activities, two approaches to national security, and the relationship between Japan’s national security in general and international peace cooperation activities as well as the future prospect.
Visit to Kairakuen & Seaside Park in Mito, Ibaraki
A group of GPAJ members: Ken INOUE, Fujiko AMANO, Elizabeth Gamarra, Naoko KUMAGAI and Sukehiro HASEGAWA, visited the Kairakuen Garden in Mito and National Hitachi Seaside Park in Ibaraki on March 15 and 16, 2022.
“Future of Liberal Democracy in Southeast Asia Indonesia and Malaysia” by Prof. Yuji Suzuki (14/12/2021)
Professor Suzuki, President of the National Federation of UNESCO Association of Japan, explains the challenges faced by Southeast Asian countries, particularly Indonesia and Malaysia. His presentation was followed by a lively discussion participated by Ambassadors Shinyo and Yanagisawa as well as Messrs Nakayama and Kuroda, and Ms. Elizabeth Gamarra.
Online Seminar “Why Do Revolutions Happen? -Reflections on Post-Soviet Kazakhstan’s 30 year Shadow Transition-” (Professor Aigul Kulnazarova)
Professor Aigul Kulnazarova will explain why revolutions take place in the post-Soviet region, most recently in Kazakhstan, on Tuesday 8 February 2022 from 20:00～21:30 Japan Standard Time. She will be joined by David Chikvaidze, Chef de Cabinet, UN Office at Geneva and Lise Howard, President of ACUNS. For participation, please register from the link below by February 7. https://forms.gle/oPRwsLY4Jg411A7V9
GPAJ Online Seminar “Democratic Crisis in Sudan” (Mr. Koji SAKANE)
Global Peacebuilding Association of Japan (GPAJ), and Kyoto Peacebuilding Center (KPC)
present Mr. Koji SAKANE, Chief Representative, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Sudan Office and Director of GPAJ, “Democratic Crisis in Sudan” Saturday,12 February 2022 at 20:00 hours Tokyo time. If you are interested in, please contact Fujiko AMANO (fujiko.amano[@]gmail.com) for registration.
Online Seminar “Winning and Losing the Nuclear Peace: Look Back on Arms Control and Non-Proliferation” (Ms. Angela Kane)
Global Peacebuilding Association of Japan (GPA-J), Kyoto Peacebuilding Center (KPC) and ACUNS Tokyo Liaison Office presented Angela Kane, Former High Representative for Disarmament Affairs and Under-Secretary-General for Management of the United Nations “Winning and Losing the Nuclear Peace: Looking Back on Arms Control and Non-Proliferation” Saturday 29 January 2022 at 10:00 hours Tokyo time and Friday 28 January 2022 at 20:00 hours Washington DC time.
H.E. Mr. Xanana Gusmão Former President and Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste is Awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Arts by Kyoto University of the Arts (23/11/2021)
Please click here for a full report in English which was compiled by Maciej Witek.
GPAJ Webinar “Migration Challenges in Pakistan” (08/01/2022)
If you want to participate in the seminar, please send your name and email address to
to Mr. Ken Inoue (camelworld[@]aol.com). The Secretariat will send a Zoom link to all
members a few days before the seminar.
Professor Katsumi ISHIZUKA, member of the Board of Directors of GPAJ, presented his book on the History of Peacebuilding in East Timor to former President and Prime Minister Xanana Gusmão on November 23, 2021 at the Meiji Jingu Gaien campus of the Kyoto University of the Arts. Dr. ISHIZUKA received MA from the University of Nottingham and Ph.D. from the University of Keele. (01/12/2021)
GPAJ Webinar “Legacy of Boutros Boutros-Ghali and Omnilateralism” (04/12/2021)
Global Peacebuilding Association of Japan (GPAJ), Kyoto Peacebuilding Center (KPC) and Academic Council on the United Nations System Tokyo Liaison Office (ACUN\s-Tokyo) in association with the Association of Former International Civil Servants of Japan (AFICS-Japan) held a seminar on “Legacy of Boutros Boutros-Ghali and Omnilateralism” on Saturday, December 4, 2021, Japan Standard Time from 20:00 to 21:30 hours.
Tokyo Peacebuilding Forum 2021 “Peacebuilding and Democratic Governance in an Era of Uncertainty” (13/11/2021)
Online Forum Saturday, 13 November 2021 Japan Time 10:00 – 18:00 Japan time
organized by the Global Peacebuilding Association of Japan (GPAJ) and supported by Kyoto Peacebuilding Center, ACUNS Tokyo and AFICS-Japan. Please contact Prof. Naoko Kumagai (naokokumagai71{@}gmail.com) for registration.
ACUNS Tokyo/GPAJ/KPC presented Dr. Bauman to assess the implications of COP26 (16/11/2021)
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