The Parliamentary Committee of the Japanese Diet for World Federalist Movement mandated the Japan Commission on Global Governance (JCGG) to address global issues and crises such as security, disarmament, global environment, public health, development and poverty eradication, human rights and the rule of law and make recommendations regarding the role Japan should play in global governance in the post-COVID-19 era. Please click here for the report of the Commission and the debate that took place in the Parliamentary Committee.
ACUNS Tokyo will host Online Seminar on International Leadership on Saturday 7 November 2020, 15:00-18:00 (Japan Time) (07/10/2020)
This online seminar will be joined by Lise Morjé Howard, President of ACUNS and Professor of Government at Georgetown University and Prof. Kate Gilmore, former UN Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights. If you are interested in this event, please find the program below and fill in the registration form here.
Arbenita Sopaj visits Tokyo and has a Lunch Meeting at Arabian Restaurant with Board Members, Elizabeth Gamarra, Ken Inoue and Sukehiro Hasegawa on how to cope with expanding GPAJ membership. (01/10/2020)
GPAJ Member, Arbenita Sopaj visited Tokyo from Kobe University this week. Arbenita has been an active member of GPAJ as one of the moderators for the zoom conference on “The Impact of the UN Intervention on Contemporary Kosovo” featuring Ambassador Leon Malazogu and others. She held an informal lunch with Sukehiro Hasegawa, President of GPAJ, Ken Inoue, Vice President of GPAJ, Elizabeth Gamarra, member of the GPAJ Board.
Zhang Guihong：Future International Cooperation should pay More Attention to Human Security, Dignity, Equality and Freedom (23/09/2020)
In his article just published by China Daily on September 23, Director of the Research Center for United Nations and International Organizations of Fudan University, Professor Zhang Guihong, who is member of the Global Peacebuilding Association of Japan, recognizes the UN has a unique advantage in promoting universal values as well as global norms and ethics. Please click here for his full article.
“International Day of Peace” was held in temples, churches, and parks throughout Japan on September 21st from 12:00a.m., and in Tokyo, Princess Akiko took part in Zojyoji Temple (21/09/2020)
In Tokyo, Princess Akiko struck the peace bell at the ceremony held at Zojoji Temple. After the bell-beating ceremony, Sukehiro Hasegawa, chairman of the Japan Committee for International Peace Day, explained the purpose of the event. Then, Sen Genshitsu, president of the United Nations Association of Japan and the head of Urasenke, and Yoshiko Higashikuni, Chairman of the World Federation Culture and Education Promotion Council, gave a speech, and Yuriko Koike, the Governor of Tokyo Metropolitan Government, gave a congratulatory address. Actress Mikako Yoshida then read a message from Fabrizio Hochschild, Special Advisor to the Secretary-General for the 75th anniversary of the United Nations. Please clickhere. (Reporter: Yuuki Watanabe)
Farewell Lunch for Former Vice President Mio Sato (20/09/2020)
GPAJ Vice President Mio Sato will be appointed as IOM Office Director in Pakistan next month, and her successor, GPAJ Vice President Kumagai, organized a farewell lunch. It was most enjoyable to have eight members get together at the restaurant for the first time in a long time and talk to each other directly. Yumiko Kaneko, a UNDP staff in the Philippines and a GPAJ member, joined us. From right: Ken Inoue, Vice President of GPAJ, Mio Sato, Director of IOM, Takaaki Mizuno, Professor of Kanda University of International Studies, Keiichi Tanabe, Professor of Tokai University, Yumiko Kaneko, UNDP staff, Sukehiro Hasegawa, GPAJ President, and Naoko Kumagai, Vice President and Professor at Aoyama Gakuin University.
“Turkey under the Erdogan regime” By Akio Miyajima, Japanese Ambassador to Turkey (12/09/2020)
Akio Miyajima, Japanese Ambassador to Turkey explained Turkey as a “rising power” with “volatility” and “resilience” in the turbulent Middle East region and beyond from various aspects including its diplomacy, military, domestic affairs, and economy. He emphasized that Turkey, a nation of 83 million people with tremendous potential holds the key to regional stability and global peacebuilding as the influence and commitment of the United States wanes and declines.
Former President and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate José Ramos-Horta calls for Japan, China and South Korea to forge partnership along with India to stabilize Asia and help other Asian countries reduce poverty and clean up their environment and provide positive leadership in the United Nations and the Global Community (05/09/2020)
President José Ramos-Horta was followed by former Under-Secretary-General Ameerah Haq who emphasized the importance of preserving the rule-based international order. They are joined by former SRSG to Afghanistan Tadamichi YAMAMOTO and Ambassador Yasuyoshi KOMIZO to IAEA in Vienna, Nippon University Lecturer Yuichi KUBOTA, JICA Peacebuilding Chief Koji SAKANE, Professor Takaaki MIZUNO, GPAJ Vice President Ken INOUE and Elizabeth GAMARRA, Rotary Fellow at ICU, Tokyo. Please click here for a video coverage.
The 45th GPAJ Online Seminar “Turkey under the Erdoğan administration” (12/09/2020)
Those who wish to participate, please pre-register at ”tanimoto[@]gpaj.org” by Monday, September 7. We’ll send you a return Zoom account.
David Chikvaidze on the Past, Present and Future of Multilateralism (04/08/2020)
Chef de Cabinet to the Director-General, United Nations Office at Geneva David A. Chikvaidze asserts that we are on the verge of blundering into something far more devastating than the world has experienced before for a variety of reasons, not least among them, rapidly deteriorated relations among the most heavily armed and powerful States through the deliberate dismantling of disarmament commitments, a climate crisis wreaking havoc around the world, intrastate and regional armed conflicts threatening millions, dire poverty in large parts of the world, refugee flows at record levels, rampant inequality both between and within countries, escalating disputes over trade, sky-high debt, threats to the rule of law, attacks on the media and civil society resulting in mistrust among peoples, countries, communities and societies. Add to these, Chikvaidze points out that the ‘game-changing’ COVID-19 pandemic and what the world has before it, is a stage set for planetary calamity. In this fast-changing environment, new diplomatic policies and practices based on the principles of solidarity and inclusiveness are urgently needed, bringing together all relevant actors, from civil society, think tanks, academia to regional development banks. The collective response has an uneven record, with tensions often undermining the effectiveness of multilateral decision-making processes. But the world needs to be optimistic and hopeful. He advises that we should pull back from the precipice in time. Modern multilateralism is the only way to do this. Please click here for the full text of his paper published by Cadmus, Volume 4, Issue 2-Paln 2 – June 2020.