(as delivered)
Statement by Dr. Yasue Nunoshiba
Special Advisor of the Government of Japan
Item 26: Social Development
71st Session of the Third Committee
of the United Nations General Assembly
5 October 2016
Madam Chair,
At the outset, I would like to express my heartfelt congratulations to you on your assumption of the position of chair of this Committee. Let me assure you of my delegation’s utmost support to your efforts and leadership.
I am attending this Committee as the Special Advisor of the Japanese delegation on the recommendations of nine Japanese women’s NGOs. Since 1957, a representative of Japan’s women’s NGOs has been participating in the discussions of this Committee. I will actively participate in this Committee, recognizing that women’s political empowerment and democratic governance are essential to achieve a peaceful and equal civil society.
Madam Chair,
Japan strongly supports the guiding principle of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development; namely, “leaving no one behind,” which stands on a human-centered approach. We will promote the realization of the 2030 Agenda by supporting vulnerable people and countries to achieve sustainable development.
In this regard, it is important to create a more inclusive society by supporting and encouraging persons with disability to participate in society and ending discrimination against them. This April, Japan executed an act which calls upon administrative bodies and private companies to take concrete measures to eliminate discrimination.
The Government of Japan has also expanded its financial assistance for schools which actively accept and provide accommodations for students with disabilities.
Furthermore, Japan has made numerous contributions to promote international cooperation in this field. One example is our “job coaching” projects, which assist persons with disability to accommodate in the work place. We have conducted these projects for 10 years. In Malaysia, more than 1,000 individuals were trained to be Job Coaches and so far over 650 persons with disability have been assisted with their employment needs.
Madam Chair,
The difficulties that African countries face, such as poverty and social inequality, stand in the way of the attainment of their social, economic and cultural rights. We cannot postpone any efforts to establish the sorts of environments that will enable the empowerment of the people, such as eliminating poverty, strengthening health care systems and ensuring full employment and decent work.
In this regard, Japan has led the Tokyo International Conference on African Development, TICAD, since 1993. Since then, we have made various contributions not only toward economic development but also toward “high quality growth,” such as the improvement of healthcare systems, comprehensive education and the empowerment of women.
This year, we held the Sixth TICAD Summit in Africa for the first time. At the Summit we announced our commitment to invest approximately 30 billion dollars from both governmental and private sector sources toward the future of Africa, including through enhancing resilient healthcare systems and providing high quality personnel training for 10 million people over three years starting from 2016. We shall continue to contribute to the social development of Africa through these activities.
Madam Chair,
This December, in Tokyo, Japan will host the third World Assembly for Women, “WAW! 2016” to realize a society where women shine. We will focus on universal topics such as “Work-life balance,” “Science and Technology,” and “Health and Sanitation,” for which in-depth discussions are still needed.
My country will continue to address the issues surrounding social development by empowering every individual, including women, persons with disability, youth, older persons and LGBT people in the spirit of “leaving no one behind.”
I thank you.
