Statement by Mr. Hiroyuki Mase
Counsellor, Permanent Mission of Japan to the United Nations
At the 39th Session of the Committee on Information
24 April 2017
[Trilingual version as delivered]
Mr. Chair,
First, I would like to join the previous speakers in expressing our deep gratitude to the outgoing chair of the Committee on Information, Ambassador Kaha Imnadze, and his team for their dedicated work and strong leadership over the past two years. I would also like to congratulate you, Ambassador Jan Kickert of Austria, for assuming the chairmanship of the committee. I am confident that your able leadership, together with the competent secretariat led by Mr. Ramu Damodaran, will allow the 39th Session of the Committee to achieve its task to help guide the activities of the Department of Public Information (DPI).
For the 39th Session, Japan will be represented on the bureau of the Committee on Information by my colleague, Mr. Hajime Jimmy Kishimori, Counsellor of the Permanent Mission of Japan. He is also serving on behalf of the Asia-Pacific Group as Rapporteur. As always, Japan extends its full support to all members of the bureau. I am convinced that Mr. Kishimori will make his utmost efforts to further facilitate the work of the Committee.
I would also like to extend my gratitude to Mr. Maher Nasser in his capacity as Acting Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information, as well as to the many members of DPI, for their significant work to enhance the effectiveness, efficiency and accountability of the United Nations, while actively engaging in public relations activities.
Monsieur le Président,
Il ne fait aucun doute que le Département de l’information (DPI) contribue aux Nations Unies comme département principal qui communique au public du monde entier les travaux et les exploits de l’Organisation. S’il n’y a pas de tels travaux importants qui sont maintenant faits de manière effective et efficace, les Nations Unies ne seraient pas capables de recueillir le soutien de la communauté internationale, soutien qui est nécessaire pour mettre en œuvre leurs nombreuses activités et efforts. Pour cet objectif, je tiens à exprimer au DPI le sincère remerciement du Japon pour identifier les priorités des Nations Unies et les communiquer stratégiquement au niveau global, de manière rapide et opportune.
En même temps, l’objectif principal du DPI, qui est d’augmenter la prise de conscience des travaux et des activités des Nations Unies, devra être atteint en améliorant l’efficacité et la transparence à travers la rationalisation de leurs ressources actuelles, ainsi qu’en mettant en œuvre ses activités sans que cela n’entraîne de coûts supplémentaires.
Mr. Chair,
The significant work of DPI could not reach the greatest possible audience without the large network of UN Information Centres (UNICs) throughout the world, each of which provides information on the activities of the UN to local populations in their own languages. I would like to commend the Strategic Communication Division for their management of field offices and the network of UN Information Centres, including UNIC Tokyo.
Acting as the face of the United Nations in Japan, UNIC Tokyo continues its important task of disseminating information about the significant work of the United Nations to the Japanese public. In her capacity as director, Ms. Kaoru Nemoto continues to actively and expertly guide the activities of UNIC Tokyo, which promotes greater support for the United Nations throughout Japan in a creative manner.
One example of this is the photo contest “My View on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)” hosted by UNIC Tokyo last year, which received 622 submissions from 47 countries. After careful consideration, first prize was awarded to Mr. Nicolás Monteverde Bustamante of Perú for his work “EL OJO DEL CONSUMO” (The Eye of the Consumer), which touches on the SDGs related to environmental protection and responsible consumption by depicting a volunteer removing a tire from a polluted beach in Perú, and which ultimately questions the correspondence of consumption habits and conservation goals.
Furthermore, UNIC Tokyo recently partnered with Yoshimoto Kogyo, one of the largest entertainment agencies in Japan, and the Government of Japan to promote the SDGs with the help of Japanese comedians. Though this partnership is still in its infancy, Japan hopes it will grow to communicate the goals and messages of the UN through unprecedented and creative means. In this connection, the Government of Japan reiterates its full support for all UN Information Centres and calls on DPI to continue to ensure the success of these centers and support their efforts on a global scale.
Mr. Chair,
Last September, the annual ceremony to mark the International Day of Peace was celebrated in the Japanese Garden. On that occasion, we also held the launch of a newly published picture book, The Story of the UN Peace Bell, by Ms. Seiko Takase, daughter of the contributor of the Peace Bell, with the support of Ms. Sherri Aldis and her DPI colleagues at the UN Book Shop. Compared to the larger ceremony, which boasted the attendance of such celebrities as Mr. Michael Douglas, Ms. Midori Goto and Mr. Leonardo DiCaprio, the book launch was a modest event that went largely unnoticed. But with so many young children reading the picture book out loud together, learning about the history of the Peace Bell, I found it to be meaningful to reach out to those whom otherwise we cannot access.
The Secretary-General, Mr. António Guterres, has placed peace at the top of his agenda. Japan, as a peace-loving nation and current member of the UN Security Council, strongly supports his decision. However, peace is not realized solely by the UN Security Council, nor even solely by the UN community. Peace can only be achieved through the efforts of all peace-loving individuals around the world, in which art and culture can play a meaningful role.
Art and culture may not solve all the world’s conflicts, but they do inspire us to both envision and strive for peace. In December last year, some of you may have joined us to commemorate the 60th anniversary of Japan’s accession to the UN. For this commemoration, a Japanese plaster wall was constructed, on which attendees could engrave messages of peace in their mother languages. The memories and prayers for peace on the wall left a lasting impression on all of us. Out of this collective experience, our new initiative, “Peace is…” was born.
The “Peace is…” initiative will use art and culture as a medium through which anyone may connect with the UN and its objectives more easily. To that end, through the initiative, the Permanent Mission of Japan will collaborate with Japanese artists residing in New York, who believe in the power of art to bridge divisions and bring people together towards harmony.
The inaugural event of “Peace is…” took place on 11 April with the kind support of DPI and Mr. Nasser as our Master of Ceremonies, and was attended by more than 300 guests. The initiative will continue to hold events on a monthly basis in close coordination with DPI. We would also like to collaborate with as many other Member States as possible to make the initiative more diverse, meaningful and cross-cultural.
Señor Presidente,
En conclusión, Japón reitera su compromiso de apoyar las actividades del DIP (Departamento de Información Pública) y deseamos participar proactivamente en las discusiones que tendrán lugar en esta Sesión del Comité de Información.
I thank you, Mr. Chair.
*****
[All-English version for reference]
Mr. Chair,
First, I would like to join the previous speakers in expressing our deep gratitude to the outgoing chair of the Committee on Information, Ambassador Kaha Imnadze, and his team for their dedicated work and strong leadership over the past two years. I would also like to congratulate you, Ambassador Jan Kickert of Austria, for assuming the chairmanship of the committee. I am confident that your able leadership, together with the competent secretariat led by Mr. Ramu Damodaran, will allow the 39th Session of the Committee to achieve its task to help guide the activities of the Department of Public Information (DPI).
For the 39th Session, Japan will be represented on the bureau of the Committee on Information by my colleague, Mr. Hajime Jimmy Kishimori, Counsellor of the Permanent Mission of Japan. He is also serving on behalf of the Asia-Pacific Group as Rapporteur. As always, Japan extends its full support to all members of the bureau. I am convinced that Mr. Kishimori will make his utmost efforts to further facilitate the work of the Committee.
I would also like to extend my gratitude to Mr. Maher Nasser in his capacity as Acting Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information, as well as to the many members of DPI for their significant work to enhance the effectiveness, efficiency and accountability of the United Nations, while actively engaging in public relations activities.
Mr. Chair,
There is no doubt that DPI is instrumental to the United Nations as the principal department which communicates the work and achievements of the Organization to the world’s diverse audience. Without such important work, done effectively and efficiently, the United Nations would not be able to garner the support of the international community necessary to carry out its numerous activities and efforts. To this end, I would like to express Japan’s gratitude to DPI for identifying the priorities of the UN and strategically communicating them at the global level in a prompt and timely manner.
At the same time, DPI’s primary objective, which is to increase awareness of the work and activities of the United Nations, should be achieved by improving efficiency and transparency through the rationalization of its current resources as well as carrying out its activities in a cost-neutral manner.
Mr. Chair,
The significant work of DPI could not reach the greatest possible audience without the large network of UN Information Centres (UNICs) throughout the world, each of which provides information on the activities of the UN to local populations in their own languages. I would like to commend the Strategic Communication Division for their management of field offices and the network of UN Information Centres, including UNIC Tokyo.
Acting as the face of the United Nations in Japan, UNIC Tokyo continues its important task of disseminating information about the significant work of the United Nations to the Japanese public. In her capacity as director, Ms. Kaoru Nemoto continues to actively and expertly guide the activities of UNIC Tokyo, which promotes greater support for the United Nations throughout Japan in a creative manner.
One example of this is the photo contest “My View on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)” hosted by UNIC Tokyo last year, which received 622 submissions from 47 countries. After careful consideration, first prize was awarded to Mr. Nicolás Monteverde Bustamante of Perú for his work “EL OJO DEL CONSUMO” (The Eye of the Consumer), which touches on the SDGs related to environmental protection and responsible consumption by depicting a volunteer removing a tire from a polluted beach in Perú, and which ultimately questions the correspondence of consumption habits and conservation goals.
Furthermore, UNIC Tokyo recently partnered with Yoshimoto Kogyo, one of the largest entertainment agencies in Japan, and the Government of Japan to promote the SDGs with the help of Japanese comedians. Though this partnership is still in its infancy, Japan hopes it will grow to communicate the goals and messages of the UN through unprecedented and creative means. In this connection, the Government of Japan reiterates its full support for all UN Information Centres and calls on DPI to continue to ensure the success of these centers and support their efforts on a global scale.
Mr. Chair,
Last September, the annual ceremony to mark the International Day of Peace was celebrated in the Japanese Garden. On that occasion, we also held the launch of a newly published picture book, The Story of the UN Peace Bell, by Ms. Seiko Takase, daughter of the contributor of the Peace Bell, with the support of Ms. Sherri Aldis and her DPI colleagues at the UN Book Shop. Compared to the larger ceremony, which boasted the attendance of such celebrities as Mr. Michael Douglas, Ms. Midori Goto and Mr. Leonardo DiCaprio, the book launch was a modest event that went largely unnoticed. But with so many young children reading the picture book out loud together, learning about the history of the Peace Bell, I found it to be meaningful to reach out to those whom otherwise we cannot access.
The Secretary-General, Mr. António Guterres, has placed peace at the top of his agenda. Japan, as a peace-loving nation and current member of the UN Security Council, strongly supports his decision. However, peace is not realized solely by the UN Security Council, nor even solely by the UN community. Peace can only be achieved through the efforts of all peace-loving individuals around the world, in which art and culture can play a meaningful role.
Art and culture may not solve all the world’s conflicts, but they do inspire us to both envision and strive for peace. In December last year, some of you may have joined us to commemorate the 60th anniversary of Japan’s accession to the UN. For this commemoration, a Japanese plaster wall was constructed, on which attendees could engrave messages of peace in their mother languages. The memories and prayers for peace on the wall left a lasting impression on all of us. Out of this collective experience, our new initiative, “Peace is…” was born.
The “Peace is…” initiative will use art and culture as a medium through which anyone may connect with the UN and its objectives more easily. To that end, through the initiative, the Permanent Mission of Japan will collaborate with Japanese artists residing in New York, who believe in the power of art to bridge divisions and bring people together towards harmony.
The inaugural event of “Peace is…” took place on 11 April with the kind support of DPI and Mr. Nasser as our Master of Ceremonies, and was attended by more than 300 guests. The initiative will continue to hold events on a monthly basis in close coordination with DPI. We would also like to collaborate with as many other Member States as possible to make the initiative more diverse, meaningful and cross-cultural.
Mr. Chair,
In conclusion, Japan reiterates its commitment to support the activities of DPI, and looks forward to participating actively in the discussions to be held in this session of the Committee on Information.
I thank you, Mr. Chair.
