Appointment of Ambassador in Charge of Conflict and Refugee-related Issues in Africa

April 7, 2003

  1. On April 7 (Mon), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan appointed Mr. Keitaro Sato, former Japanese Ambassador to the United Republic of Tanzania, currently working as Senior Adviser to the Ministry, as Ambassador in Charge of Conflict and Refugee-related Issues in Africa.

  2. Japan is striving for "consolidation of peace," an essential platform for development and one of the priority areas of cooperation for Africa. In Africa, there still remain challenging issues from a "human security" perspective such as frequent regional conflicts and a large number of refugees and displaced persons generated by them.

  3. The appointment of an Ambassador in Charge of Conflict and Refugee-related Issues in Africa aims to respond more expeditiously and elaborately to conflict and refugee-related issues from a standpoint of people in Africa facing various threats generated by conflict. Ambassador Sato, with his field-oriented approach acquired from years of experience in Africa, will collect wide-ranging information on conflict and refugee-related issues in Africa, encourage relevant parties to seek a peaceful solution to conflicts, observe refugee camps, participate in related international conferences, and conduct other missions.
   related information
In August last year, Minister for Foreign Affairs Yoriko Kawaguchi announced Japan's intention of supporting efforts of African countries for "consolidation of peace" when she visited Ethiopia and Angola, which are rehabilitating themselves from conflicts. Japan, a host nation of TICAD III at the end of September this year, is intensifying its efforts in this policy field.


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