UNITAR Fellowship for Afghanistan Programe

2013 Cycle | Call for Applications

UNITAR recently launched the Call for Applications for the 10th annual cycle of its highly successful Fellowship for Afghanistan Programme. The Fellowship is a seven-month long programme which builds the capacity and enhances the leadership, management and professional skills of a core group of senior government officials, academics and practitioners from Afghanistan. Sharing Hiroshima's lessons in post-conflict reconstruction, the Fellowship discusses important themes such as organization development and change, project design and management, and human resource development /management.

The Fellowship utilises unique methodological approaches, including face-to-face and blended learning, web-seminars, self-, and team-led assignments, and incorporates also international Mentors and Resource Persons. Consisting of four Workshops, including one in Abu Dhabi, UAE, and one in Hiroshima, Japan, the Fellowship also sees successful Fellows from previous cycles return as Coaches for project teams within subsequent cycles, and successful Coaches return as Afghan Resource Persons, who act to contextualise the international training offered to the changing realities in Afghanistan.

Fellowship objectives include:

• To support an Afghan cadre in the application of their increased knowledge, and confidence in the transformation of their respective ministries and organisations
• To build a committed and highly capable Fellowship community in Afghanistan which can serve as a resource for planning and implementing capacity-building and training activities at the local and national levels

Having trained almost 400 Fellows since its inception, the Fellowship counts alumni from all Ministries in Afghanistan, as well as representatives of the private sector, including Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat (DABS), and NGOs, including the Aga Khan Foundation. UNITAR enjoys particularly strong relationships with the Ministry of Finance, as well as the Afghan Civil Service Institute (ACSI), and looks forward to implementing another meaningful cycle, with international collaborators which include Microsoft Corporation, the University of Calgary, the Singapore International Foundation, and the University of Texas at Austin.

• Fellowship Webpage
• Fellowship Application Form

75th UNITAR Public Session

In Partnership With Ant-Hiroshima

‘In Memory of Beate SIROTA GORDON: Women and the Constitution’

By Nassrine AZIMI

And with a message from Nicole GORDON

  3 May 2013: The UNITAR Hiroshima Office held a Public Session on Japan's Constitution Day, to pay tribute to the life and work of Beate Sirota Gordon. The event was held in partnership with ANT-Hiroshima [http://www.ant-hiroshima.org/], and titled "In Memory of Beate SIROTA GORDON: Women and the Constitution".  

On 30 December 2012, Beate Sirota Gordon, an expert on the performing arts of Asia and for decades director of programs at the Japan and Asia Societies, passed away peacefully in New York -- sparking hundreds of obituaries around the world, praising the contributions of this modest but extraordinary woman. Despite Sirota Gordon’s original and path-breaking work in bringing the traditional arts of Asia to American audiences, it is the historical role she played in drafting Article 24 of the Japanese Constitution, on women’s rights, that has made her such an icon for women in Japan and around the world.

One of the most far-reaching equal rights clauses of its time, set in the context of the unique peace constitution, Article 24 and the person who drafted it remain as relevant and important as ever. The Public Session discussed the life of this historic figure, and the legacy she has left behind. It was attended by participants comprising local citizens, academics, NGO representatives, students, and others. Nassrine Azimi, Co-founder of Green Legacy Hiroshima, and Senior Advisor and Former Director of the Hiroshima and New York Offices of UNITAR, had been working with Beate Sirota Gordon on a book over the last two years, and facilitated the Public Session. Beate Sirota Gordon's daughter, Ms. Nicole Gordon, participated from New York via Skype.  

Iraqi Government Officers Training Programme Completed

31 March 2013: The UNITAR Hiroshima Office recently held a training programme for 26 senior representatives of the Ministry of Oil of the Republic of Iraq between 16 and 29 March 2013. Participants comprised technicians specialized in engineering, geology, and chemistry, who are working in different oil and refinery companies of the Iraqi Ministry of Oil. Focusing on Leadership and Project Planning, the programme was undertaken in collaboration with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), and included 9 days in Hiroshima, followed by 3 days in Tokyo. More details are available on the Iraqi Government Officers Training Programme webpage. 

2013-14 UNITAR Youth Ambassadors Selected

On 19 March 2013, UNITAR held the UNITAR Youth Ambassadors Appointment Ceremony to announce and congratulate the newly appointed UNITAR Youth Ambassadors for 2013-2014: Ms. Sae Murai, Hiroshima Jogakuin High School, and Mr. Yuuki Yanagawa, Hiroshima Gakuin High School.

The Jury Committee, comprising representatives of Hiroshima Prefecture, City of Hiroshima, Rotary International, and Chugoku Shimbun Newspaper, selected these two students from among a highly competitive set of applicants from high schools across the Hiroshima Prefecture. Ms. Murai and Mr. Yanagawa illustrated an impressive commitment to the pursuit of peace, and possess a strong understanding of their responsibilities in this process.

The Appointment Ceremony was attended by over 50 participants including 26 representatives of the Ministry of Oil of the Republic of Iraq, and partners in Hiroshima from both the public and private sectors. Marimo Co., Ltd. graciously provided iPads for the Youth Ambassadors.   

The UNITAR Youth Ambassador Programme provides an opportunity to learn about the United Nations system as well as careers in diplomacy and international affairs through participation in UNITAR events. The programme includes study trips to embassies and United Nations organizations in Tokyo to experience firsthand the world of diplomacy. Youth Ambassadors deliver Hiroshima’s message of peace on behalf of their peers in Hiroshima, in Japan, and around the world.

UNITAR gratefully acknowledges the following for their support in the UNITAR Youth Ambassador Programme:

Official Supporting Organisations:

• Hiroshima Prefectural Government
• Hiroshima City Government
• United Nations Information Center (UNIC)
• Chugoku Shimbun
• Rotary International District 2710

Contributing Organizations:

• Marimo Co., Ltd.

The ceremony was covered by Chugoku Shimbun Newspaper.

• Hiroshima University
• Prefectural University of Hiroshima
• Hiroshima City University
• Hiroshima International University
• Hiroshima Bunkyo Women’s University
• Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Chugoku International Center
• Hiroshima International Center (HIC)
• Hiroshima Municipal Government
• Hiroshima Prefectural Government
• UNITAR Hiroshima Office

On the occasion of the establishment of the Network, 15 representatives from 10 Member Institutes gathered at the inaugural meeting. The representatives discussed the Network’s statute, membership, and upcoming events in the next fiscal year.

UNITAR affirmed its commitment to working closely with the Network, utilising its experience in bringing delegations to Hiroshima for capacity building, as well as building upon the Hiroshima for Global Peace Plan, developed by the Hiroshima Prefectural Government.