Visit to Japan by Miss Helen Clark, Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

November 19, 2009
Japanese

Miss Helen Clark, the Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), will visit Japan from November 23 (Mon) to 25 (Wed).
During her visit, Miss Clark will pay a courtesy call to Mr. Yukio Hatoyama, Prime Minister, and will exchange views with Mr. Katsuya Okada, Minister for Foreign Affairs, and other officials of the Government of Japan. She is also scheduled to give a speech on global issues such as Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), climate change, and assistance to Afghanistan, as well as strategic partnership between the UN organizations and Japan, at the House of Councillors Special Committee on Official Development Assistance and other issues.
In cooperation with the UNDP, Japan has been providing wide range of assistance that underlines the viewpoint of human security, on issues concerning the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), peace-building in countries such as Afghanistan and Iraq, support to the UN Peacekeeping Operation (PKO) Centers in Africa, assistance in governance, climate change efforts, and post-disaster recovery. This visit is expected to further enhance cooperative relations between Japan and UNDP to respond to global issues.
This is Miss Clark’s first visit to Japan as the UNDP Administrator since she assumed her current post in April 2009.

(Reference) Miss Helen Clark, the Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

After serving as Minister of Conservation, Minister of Housing, Minister of Health, Minister of Labour, and Deputy Prime Minister, Miss Clark became Leader of the Labour Party (opposition party) in 1993. She was Prime Minister from 1999 to 2008, and assumed her current position in April 2009.

The Administrator of the UNDP is the third most prominent post in the UN following the posts of Secretary General and the Vice-secretary General. The UNDP is a leading organization which promotes efforts towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). It also plays a major role in areas such as crisis prevention and recovery, democratic governance, and environment and energy. UNDP is the co-organizer of the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD), together with Japan, the UN, and the World Bank.

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