TOKYO, July 17, 2024 /Kyodo JBN/ --
Special Events and Seminars Held for Two Weeks, with 50 Cabinet Ministers and Experts Invited from Relevant Countries, to Help Better Understand Pacific Island Nations and Challenges They Face -
The Sasakawa Peace Foundation opened "The Pacific Island Nations Weeks" on July 8, 2024, with an opening ceremony and a series of seminars held at the foundation building in Tokyo. During Pacific Island Nations Weeks, which will run until July 19, seminars will be held on such themes as security, sustainable tourism, waste control, disaster management, and the impacts of rising sea levels. Furthermore, there will be events featuring cultural experiences and film screenings, among other programs.
At the opening ceremony, speeches were given by Yohei Sasakawa, Honorary Chair of the Sasakawa Peace Foundation (Chairman of the Nippon Foundation); Yasushi Hosaka, Japanese Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs; and Wisely Zackhras, Minister of Justice, Immigration and Labor of the Marshall Islands. "The Sasakawa Peace Foundation has built relations with the Pacific island nations for 36 years," Honorary Chair Sasakawa said in his speech. "The main purpose (of the Pacific Island Nations Weeks) is to help build relationships so that as many people in Japan as possible will come to know these wonderful nations and visit there for sightseeing." Parliamentary Vice-Minister Hosaka commented, "We hope that our bonds of trust with the friends in the Pacific islands nations will deepen further through PALM10." A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held afterward in the hope that friendly relations among those nations will be further strengthened and the understanding of the Pacific island nations will be deepened through Pacific Island Nations Weeks and PALM10.
The subsequent seminars dealt with the following themes in three separate sessions: "regional cooperation," "non-traditional security and WPS (women, peace, and security)" and "maritime security and law enforcement in exclusive economic zones."
Abridged video clips: https://youtu.be/qPLgvWNFACw
Official material: https://x.gd/SwtIV
Dedicated website for Pacific Island Nations Weeks: https://cp-entry.com/pinw/e.html
Source: Sasakawa Peace Foundation