TANAKA Akihiko

At the panel discussion

On March 16, JICA President Akihiko Tanaka attended the Symposium of the 70th Anniversary of the United Nations at the United Nations University in Tokyo as a panelist. The event was co-sponsored by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the U.N. University.

The purpose of the symposium was to look back on the activities of the U.N. and Japan's initiatives and contributions to the U.N., and also to consider the future of the body on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of its founding.

The event started with a speech by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who stated that 2015, the 70th anniversary of the U.N., is a crucial year featuring a series of important events including the Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in Sendai, a U.N. summit to adopt new development goals to succeed the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and UNFCCC’s COP 21*. He also commented on conflict resolution, peacekeeping activities, and the importance of human rights and the role of the U.N.

Next, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe mentioned on Japan's contribution to and cooperation with the U.N. on international issues including human security, sustainable development, quality growth, peace, healthcare, education and the empowerment of women, and the need for reforming the U.N.

Tanaka served as a panelist in a panel discussion entitled "The UN at the Crossroads: Embarking on a Year of Reform and Renewal." As part of the discussion, Tanaka made remarks about the importance of the U.N.'s function as a forum for the member countries to discuss issues and indicate directions. For example, in the context of development, the U.N. has set international goals such as the MDGs that are clear and easy to understand, and under such framework, the world has achieved major progress on those development goals. Other goals for which status of achievements are less favorable also served as occasions for further deepening understanding on the challenges to meet such goals, he continued. He also pointed out that the U.N. system has made progress on specialization to respond to the variety of global issues, however, importance of further coordination among the U.N. system to deal with the variety of emerging threats and stressed that the concept for human security can effectively offer an overarching guidance in such coordination.

JICA President Tanaka makes remarks during the panel discussion.

In the panel discussion, Yasuhide Nakayama, state minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan; George Thapatula Chaponda, minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Republic of Malawi; under-secretary-general Babatunde Osotimehin, executive director of the U.N. Population Fund; and Toshiya Hoshino, professor and vice rector of Osaka University had a lively discussion on humanity and peace in the increasingly diverse and complex international society, issues in security and development, as well as human security. Each participant also expressed strong expectations for unwavering reform at the U.N.

JICA will continue further cooperation with the U.N. and its specialized agencies by utilizing respective expertise and networks to resolve issues facing developing countries.

* 21st Session of Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, to be held in Paris