Japan-Côte d'Ivoire Relations
Foreign Minister Kamikawa’s participation in the Launching Ceremony of the UN Women project
On April 29, commencing at 9: 20 a.m. (local time)(6: 20 p.m. JST) for approximately 45 minutes, Ms. KAMIKAWA Yoko, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, who is visiting the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire, participated in the launching ceremony of the project "Meeting the urgent needs of women and girls affected by the humanitarian crisis in northern Côte d’Ivoire and ensuring their full participation in the humanitarian response" to be implemented in cooperation with UN Women, with H.E. Ms. Logboh Myss Belmonde DOGO, Minister of National Cohesion, Solidarity and Fight Against Povertyof Côte d'Ivoire and Ms. Antonia Ngabala-Sodonon, UN Women Resident Representative and others. The overview of the ceremony is as follows.
- At the outset, UN Women introduced the project, followed by opening remarks by Ms. Ngabala-Sodonon, explaining the importance of the project. The project supports women and girls of asylum seekers and host communities through the distribution of hygiene and household kits and the establishment of facilities that provide psychological support and guidance on gender-based violence, in the midst of the amplifying influx of asylum seekers into the northern part of Côte d'Ivoire.
Furthermore, Ms. Ngabala-Sodonon expressed her gratitude for Japan’s cooperation in the field of Women, Peace, and Security (WPS). - Minister Kamikawa then delivered her remarks, and expressed her satisification to start her visit in Côte d'Ivoire with the opening ceremony of the project based on the perspective of WPS, which she has been vigorously promoting since her appointment as Minister for Foreign Affairs. Minister Kamikawa also introduced that a Japanese company is cooperating through distributing vouchers utilizing digital technology in this project. Furthermore she expressed her hope that the project will protect women's dignity, dispel women's concerns, and realize women's participation and reflection of women’s opinions in the humanitarian process.
- Minister DOGO expressed her gratitude for Japan's support and expressed her will to continue working with Japan in order to promote WPS, including revision of the national action plan to implement the UN Security Council Resolution 1325.
In 2000, for the first time in the United Nations Security Council(UNSC)’s history, the UNSC unanimously adopted "Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Resolution 1325," which clearly stated that international peace, conflict prevention and conflict resolution require the equal participation of women, protection from sexual violence in conflict, and gender equality. To implement this and subsequent resolutions, Japan has formulated action plans three times and implemented them.