Countries & Regions

1. At the start of the meeting, Prime Minister Abe welcomed Special Representative Bangura to Japan and expressed his respect for her efforts. He said the unending stream of sexual violence in regions of conflict around the world must not be ignored, and explained the support that the Government of Japan has extended thus far to prevent sexual violence. In response, Special Representative Bangura highly praised the fact that Prime Minister Abe raised issues relating to women in a significant way at the General Assembly of the United Nations in September, and she expressed gratitude for the strong support of Prime Minister Abe for her efforts. Special Representative Bangura said that because Japan has overcome various challenges in post-war reconstruction, Japan can serve as a model for many developing countries, and serve as a bridge with developing countries. She also said that she hopes Japan will extract political commitments from countries that are confronted with sexual violence in conflicts.

2. Prime Minister Abe said that the Government of Japan will implement over 3 billion US dollars of ODA over the next three years in three areas, including supporting women’s participation and protection of their rights in the area of peace and security, as he expressed at the UN General Assembly. He also explained the support that the Government of Japan has extended thus far in the field of preventing sexual violence, and its efforts going forward. In response, Special Representative Bangura said that the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict is based on a resolution adopted when Japan was a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council. She thanked for Japan’s support at that time, and expressed her hope that Japan will return to the UN Security Council promptly.

3. At the end of the meeting Prime Minister Abe and Special Representative Bangura agreed to work closely to address sexual violence in conflict.