The Division of Prosperity launched its new structure on 1 July, 2019, which saw the Hiroshima Office join with the Public Finance and Trade team in Geneva to promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth through capacity development, under Division Director Mihoko Kumamoto. The Division is aligned to six training portfolios:
- Entrepreneurship and Private Sector Development
- Leadership and Empowerment
- Finance and Trade
- Anti-corruption and Combating Crime
- Frontier Technologies
- Hiroshima
TICAD VII High-level Side Event for South Sudan
The Division is committed to boosting economic growth in Africa and organised a high-level side event at the seventh Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD VII) in Yokohama, Japan on 28 and 29 August 2019. Moderated by our Executive Director, Nikhil Seth, the panel featured high-level speakers including:
- H.E. James Wani Igga, Vice-President of South Sudan
- Hon. Onyoti Adigo Nyikwec, Minister of Agriculture and Food Security of South Sudan
- Mr. Takeshi Akamatsu, Deputy Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan
- Mr. Samuel Rizk, Head of Conflict Prevention, Peacebuilding, and Responsive Institutions (CPPRI) of the UNDP Crisis Bureau
- Professor Daisaku Higashi, Deputy Director of the Human Resources Center for International Cooperation at Sophia University
- Ms. Jotaba Peninah Nandole Ndoromo, participant in the UNITAR South Sudan Programme 2019
The panel explored the challenges and opportunities in engaging youth and investing in development.
Executive Director visits Japan
Coinciding with the side event, our Executive Director, Nikhil Seth, visited Japan in August and met with key stakeholders, including the Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Mayor of Hiroshima City, and the Vice-Governor of Hiroshima Prefecture. He also had a meeting with the Representative Director and Chairperson of the Board of Mazda Motor Corporation, Mr Masamichi Kogai, where they discussed the importance of promoting the SDGs. During his time in Japan, Nikhil met the staff of the Hiroshima Office, and also experienced a traditional Japanese tea ceremony.
Youth Ambassadors Support Action for Change
The UNITAR Hiroshima Youth Ambassador Programme selected twenty students from local high schools in Hiroshima to learn more about the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and connect globally with international experts in different fields. This programme, started in 2010, aims not only to deepen the students’ understanding of current global issues and solutions such as UN commitments and the SDGs but also to equip them with the skills required to work internationally in the future. As the only UN office in Chugoku and Shikoku region of Japan, the Youth Ambassador Programme is one of the most important and cordial commitments of the Office to the local community and people
The Quarter Ahead
Looking forward, the Division has received its first Strategic Framework Fund project and is busy developing the UNITAR Women's Entrepreneurship through Artificial Intelligence in Afghanistan and Iraq which will focus on women's empowerment and frontier technologies.
The UNITAR Association for Japan has been incorporated and is a key partner for the UNITAR Hiroshima Office. The Association will serve to mobilise funding from local Japanese communities and citizens to implement programmes covering: Sports, Arts and Peace, Women's Empowerment, and SDG Youth Engagement, as well as provide specialised training and events to supporters.
Q4 is peak season for the division. We are delivering a series of workshops, including for the UNITAR Women's Leadership for Tsunami-based Disaster Risk Reduction for Small Island Developing States in Japan, the UNITAR Iraq in Baghdad, Istanbul and Japan, the UNITAR Anti-Corruption Programme for the Sahel Region in Senegal, and the UNITAR Women's Leadership Programme for Afghanistan in Kabul. Staff will also be facilitating training sessions for the Japan International Cooperation Center (JICE), and speaking at the Association for Talent Development (ATD) Japan Summit 2019 in Tokyo.