Press Releases
Meeting Between Minister for Foreign Affairs Fumio Kishida and Ms. Valerie Amos, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator
On July 23, commencing at 9:10 a.m. for approximately 30 minutes, Mr. Fumio Kishida, Minister for Foreign Affairs held a meeting with Ms. Valerie Amos, the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, who is visiting Japan upon invitation by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The overview of the meeting is as follows. Following the meeting, Minister Kishida and Under-Secretary-General Amos attended the World Humanitarian Summit North and South-East Asia Regional Consultation and gave opening remarks.
1. Minister Kishida said that Japan would like to contribute towards the success of the World Humanitarian Summit with Japan’s expertise based on experiences both as a disaster-affected county as well as a donor country. He also mentioned that the Government of Japan has played an active role in responding to humanitarian crises around the world, such as in dispatching Japan Disaster Relief Teams, including the Self-Defense Forces Units when Typhoon Haiyan hit the Philippines last November, and committed to continued cooperation with the UN on current serious humanitarian crises such as in Syria and South Sudan.
2. In response, the Under-Secretary-General Amos commended that Japan is highly progressed in disaster preparedness and has proactively responded to humanitarian crises caused by conflicts, natural disasters and others, along with expressing continued expectation toward Japan’s contributions in responding to growing humanitarian needs worldwide.
3. In addition, both sides also exchanged views on the importance of making considerations to women and the elderly when delivering humanitarian assistance, and cooperation between Japan and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in the run-up to the 3rd UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction to be held in Sendai City in March next year.
