Ceremony to deliver a letter commissioning the Goodwill Ambassador for the Human Rights of Persons Affected by Leprosy

April 10, 2009
Japanese

Mr. Hirofumi Nakasone, Minister for Foreign Affairs, will perform a ceremony to deliver a letter commissioning Mr. Yohei Sasakawa, Chairman of the Nippon Foundation, as Goodwill Ambassador for the Human Rights of Persons Affected by Leprosy on April 13 (Monday).
Following his commissioning as Goodwill Ambassador for the Human Rights of Persons Affected by Leprosy by Mr. Nobutaka Machimura, then Minister for Foreign Affairs, in September 2007, Chairman Sasakawa has energetically executed his duties to eliminate discrimination against Persons Affected by Leprosy. He has achieved considerable results in his activities to raise public awareness on discrimination against Persons Affected by Leprosy as a human rights issue, including the UN Human Rights Council’s adoption in June 2008 of a resolution on “Elimination of discrimination against Persons Affected by Leprosy and their family members” and attendance in January of this year at the meeting on the elimination of discrimination against Persons Affected by Leprosy, hosted by the United Nations. This new commission requests Chairman Sasakawa continue these kinds of activities.

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