Press Releases

1. On April 23, the Government of Japan hosted a reception in Tokyo, on the occasion of the 59th Session of the Council of the United Nations University (UNU), held from April 22 to 24. The reception was attended by approximately 200 people including Mr. Shunichi Suzuki, Parliamentary Senior Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs; Mr. Hideki Niwa, Vice-Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology; Dr. David M. Malone, Rector of the UNU; Professor Mohammed Hassan, Chairman of the UNU Council; the honourable members of the UNU Council; and distinguished guests from academia and business communities, as well as diplomatic corps.
2. This reception was organized on the occasion of the 59th Session of the Council of the UNU, the only United Nations organs whose headquarters are based in Tokyo, to strengthen the cooperation between the UNU and various communities concerned in Japan.
3. In his opening speech, Mr. Suzuki, Parliamentary Senior Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs, welcomed Dr. Malone, who assumed office as the new UNU Rector last March, and highly evaluated the post-graduate degree programmes, launched in 2010, as a global human resource development programme. Mr. Suzuki also expressed his hope that the UNU would contribute to the international community as a think tank for the United Nations System, through conducting research to resolve pressing global issues such as peacebuilding and peacekeeping, development and poverty reduction, as well as environment and development.
4. The reception has provided an opportunity for all who were present to deepen the understanding of the UNU activities and to strengthen partnerships between the UNU and those concerned in Japan.

[Reference 1] United Nations University (UNU)
Based in Tokyo, the UNU is a global research and teaching organization with 15 affiliated institutions and programs in 13 countries worldwide. The UNU focuses on global issues particularly important for the UN member states. In 2010, the UNU launched the post-graduate degree programmes.

[Reference 2] United Nations University Council
The Council is the governing board of the UNU and holds a regular session annually. The 59th Session was held at the UNU headquarters from April 22 to 24 to discuss and deliver decisions concerning its management. The UNU's 24 Council members are appointed in an individual capacity by the UN Secretary-General and the UNESCO Director-General, and they include: former ministers, the heads of major universities, and the opinion leaders of individual country. The Council members serve a six-year term, with half replaced every three years and nine members to retire next month. As Japanese, Professor Nobuyasu Abe, Director of the Center for the Promotion of Disarmament and Non- Proliferation at the Japan Institute of International Affairs, was appointed in 2010.

[Reference 3] Dr. David Malone's brief bibliography
Born in 1954, Dr. Malone, a Canadian citizen, received DPhil from Oxford University. His career achievements include: Canada's Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations; Director of the Policy, International Organizations and Global Issues Bureaus within Canada's Department of Foreign Affairs (DFAIT); and Canada's High Commissioner to India, and non-resident Ambassador to Nepal and Bhutan. Since 2008 and prior to his appointment as the new Rector of the UNU in March, he served as President of Canada's International Development Research Centre (IDRC).