UNICEF 「子どものための人道支援報告書(Humanitarian Action for Children)2023ハイレベル・ローンチ・イベント」における石兼大使ステートメント

令和4年12月5日

(As delivered)

Thank you, James,

I would like to reiterate Japan’s appreciation to Catherine and her team for their leadership. I listened closely to today’s voices from Somalia, Ukraine, Pakistan, and Haiti. They renewed my awareness of how seriously climate change can affect children.

We must not sit idly by; definitely not, we must take actual actions. Among the many children-related projects supported by Japan through UNICEF, those in Kyrgyzstan in 2020 and in Viet Nam in 2021, which put particular focus on climate change and resilience building, are good examples.

As discussed by Prime Minister Kishida at his meeting with Ms. Russell in November, Japan considers its work with UNICEF to be essential for realizing human security in the new era. In this respect, Japan has recently decided to contribute total of 106 million US dollars to UNICEF through our supplementary budget.

We are pleased that UNICEF is determined to build the resilience of children through the “Build Back Better” approach and will contribute to the realization of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, as outlined in its Strategic Plan 2022-2025.

Moreover, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and UNICEF renewed their Memorandum of Cooperation in November, which now includes “climate change and disaster risk reduction” in order to ensure human security and “leave no one behind”.

I join others in stressing the importance of strengthening of the effort or enhancement of access and so force while I think the human security will be the guiding concept.

In conclusion, I would like to reiterate Japan’s readiness to do more with other players on the ground.

Thank you very much.