Women's Issues
Foreign Minister Kamikawa's organization of an exchange meeting discussing "WPS + Innovation - from the field of humanitarian aid, especially for refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs)”
On December 13th , commencing at 17:30 (local time; December 14th, 01:30 a.m. JST) for approximately 45 minutes, Ms. KAMIKAWA Yoko, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, who is visiting Geneva, Switzerland to attend the 2nd Global Refugee Forum (GRF), organized a dialogue with representatives from international organizations titled "WPS + Innovation - from the field of humanitarian aid especially for refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs).” The overview of the meeting is as follows.
- Foreign Minister Kamikawa stated that the perspective of Women, Peace and Security (WPS) is indispensable to addressing the issues of refugees and displaced persons, and that in order for Japan to take WPS to the next level, it is important to learn from the experts in various fields and on the ground. She expressed her hope that the participants would share their knowledge on the current status and challenges of WPS implementation in the field, as well as future activities that take advantage of Japan's strengths.
- The session was moderated by Ms. Mariko Sato, Senior Regional Advisor for Asia and the Pacific, International Organization for Migration (IOM), and featured presentations from Ms. Kelly T. Clements, Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR); Mr. Robert Mardini, Director-General, International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC); Mr. Jagan Chapagain, Secretary General, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC); and Mr. Giovanni Cassani, Senior Advisor on Internally Displaced Persons (IOM), who spoke about the challenges they face and the role they expect from Japan, based on their experiences in the field of refugee and humanitarian assistance.
- Minister Kamikawa stated that she would like to apply WPS specifically to the current situation in Ukraine and the Middle East, as well as issues faced by African countries and Central America. She concluded the meeting by saying that the various opinions and suggestions that were gained at the meeting were very meaningful and that she would like to apply the knowledge gained to future international assistance from the perspective of WPS.
In 2000, for the first time in the Security Council's history, the United Nations Security Council 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 resolution and subsequent resolutions, Japan formulated the first national action plan in 2015, the second in 2019, and the third in 2023.