Press Releases
Courtesy call on State Minister for Foreign Affairs HORII by Ms. Patten, Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict (SRSG-SVC)
January 28, 2026
On January 28, commencing at 3:30 p.m. for approximately 30 minutes, Mr. HORII Iwao, State Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, received a courtesy call from Ms. Pramila Patten, Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict (SRSG-SVC), who is visiting Japan on the Invitation Program of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan The overview of the meeting is as follows:
- State Minister HORII expressed his respect for the leadership of Special Representative Patten and the initiatives taken by the Office of the SRSG-SVC in addressing issues related to sexual violence in conflict. He stated that it is extremely important to address sexual violence in conflict, especially as conflicts erupt and persist worldwide and women's rights are regressing. He added that the Office of the SRSG-SVC is an important partner for Japan, which strongly promotes Women, Peace and Security (WPS) as one of its key foreign policies, and that Japan intends to continue close cooperation with the Office moving forward.
- Special Representative Patten expressed her gratitude to the Government of Japan for inviting her to visit the country and for its continuous support for the activities of her Office. She also emphasized the importance of addressing the increasingly serious issue of sexual violence in conflict around the world.
- State Minister HORII and Special Representative Patten confirmed their commitment to continue working closely together to address sexual violence in conflict.