International Peace Day (21/09/2023)
The International Day of Peace was commemorated at the St. Ignatius Church of Mary Cathedral, Sophia University in Tokyo.
3. Peacebuilding News
Stimson Scholar Berg Mentions Declining Share of UN Peacekeeping Operations.
In his comment on the New Agenda for Peace, Mr. Robert Berg pointed out that the UN’s share in peacekeeping globally has been declining. The major powers want competent but not dynamic leadership at the top of the United Nations. While the constraints put on the Secretary-General are considerable, including little financial resources available, Berg found that Guterres has rightly placed his attention on overcoming the deficits of UN peacekeeping in Africa. Please click here for the full text of his speech.
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.
Timor-Leste admitted ASEAN membership. (11/11/2022)
In Phnom Penh, ASEAN admitted Timor-Leste today “in principle…
Mr. KANO Takehiro will explain the current and future directions of Japan`s international peace cooperation activities in the GPAJ seminar in January or February of 2023. (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 agreed to explain the current and future directions of Japan`s international peace cooperation activities.
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.
Professor Takahiro SHINYO commented on the inability to deal with the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (04/07/2022))
In his interview with the Hokkaido Shinbun, Professor Takahiro SHINYO of Kwansei Gakuin University commented on the inability to deal with the Russian invasion of Ukraine and indicated his views on how to reform the United Nations Security Council. Please click here for the full text of his interview.