My Business Trip to South Sudan

I organized a three-day business trip to Juba, South Sudan.  Upon landing on the ground, I felt energy of this country together with a hot breeze.  The capital of the world’s newest country is now vibrant, filled with the noise of construction coming from every corner of the street.  Newly paved roads have lightened the burden of local farmers whose agricultural products used to get ruined before reaching the market.  Additional housings have put roofs over the heads of the South Sudanese who migrated from Khartoum to Juba after last year’s independence.  The city is full of energy and hope.

Japan has been playing an important role in constructing infrastructure in Juba.  The Japanese Government sent staff officers to the headquarters of the United Nations Mission in the Republic of South Sudan (UNMISS) in November 2011 as the first step of Japan’s cooperation with UNMISS.  With UN’s strong request, the engineering unit of Japanese Ground Self Defense Force (JGSDF) was first dispatched in January 2012, later followed by the second dispatch in June.  Currently 326 engineering unit members, including two women, are engaged in construction projects in Juba.  I was glad to see many Japanese flags on bridges and road signs throughout the city of Juba.

Japan’s engineering units have a high reputation internationally.  They have so far joined PKO missions in Cambodia, Mozambique, the Golan Heights, East Timor, Haiti, and South Sudan.  With their fine-tuned and diligent work, the units have always been well accepted by local people.  Moreover, members are well disciplined and highly motivated.  “All the unit members volunteered to come to Juba.  In fact, the number of volunteers always excels slots that are available.  Therefore, we select people whose skills, specialties, and ranks match most,” said one of the senior staff of JGSDF.

The third engineering unit, with the same number of boots, will take over the current one from January next year.  “After I go back to Japan in December, I will apply for the post in Juba again,” said a coordinating officer.  “Working here is very rewarding.  I can see that I am making change.”

Japan-funded Human Rights Course on South Sudan

I attended an opening ceremony of the 10-day human rights course on South Sudan at the International Peace Support Training Centre (IPSTC), which is one of the most prominent PKO training centers in Africa.  In my speech, I tried to bring human rights issues closer to our daily lives.

Remarks on the occasion of the opening ceremony for

Human Rights Course (5th November, 2012)

[Names omitted]

Distinguished Participants,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Good morning.

It is my honour to attend this opening ceremony of the Human Rights Course today. 

I would like to convey my cordial welcome to all the 22 participants who are here today to start this course. 

I would also like to renew my gratitude to the support and cooperation extended by the IPSTC and UNDP Kenya.

This Human Rights Course is the 7th and the final course to be funded by Japan at the IPSTC during this Phase II period. 

Japan has been a strong advocate of human rights.  

The Japanese Government has been actively engaged in improving human rights situation in Asian countries and has been vocal of human rights challenges that remain in our neighboring countries, such as North Korea. 

Japan has also played a significant role at the international fora, such as the UN Human Rights Council.

On the same day of the independence in July 2011, the Government of Japan established diplomatic relations with the Republic of South Sudan.  

Although South Sudan and the international community celebrated the first anniversary of the independence four months ago, the young country faces a number of pressing security and development challenges. 

One of the key areas to be addressed is human rights. 

And we are proud to offer this Human Rights Course with a specific focus on South Sudan. 

Human Rights – When we hear this term, we usually imagine something big, something scholarly and somewhat conceptual. 

But human rights starts from a very close place like home, school, and work place. 

I assume all of you have had occasions in which you felt “That’s not fair.” 

For example, let’s think about our childhood experience. 

You may have felt unfair when your older brother snatched candies from you. 

You may have wondered why when you were not allowed to join a certain playing group at school. 

Some of the female participants here today may have felt unfair when you were not given equal opportunities as your male siblings did. 

No matter how trivial these episodes may seem respectively, they are very much relevant to the field you are to focus during this course. 

Including myself, it is very easy to loose sight and believe our standard or a yardstick is the only and the right one. 

And it is very difficult to keep in mind that other people may feel different, whether that “other” may be race, gender, age, religion, ethnicity, or nationality.  

In addressing human rights issues, I believe the key is to ask ourselves “What would “other” people feel?” 

Indeed, there is only a thin line between oneself and “other” people, or between “us” and “them.” 

We are in fact all human beings living together on the same planet. 

The difference between “us” and “others” will surely look tiny when we see ourselves from the galaxy. 

In fact, when we look at the Earth from the space, we cannot see any borders.

Through the 10-day course, which starts today, I believe that you will deepen your understanding of human rights and gain practical skills ready to be applied once you go back to your respective position.  
It is my wish that you would become strong advocates of human rights and would always stand up for human rights back home and around the world.

In closing my remarks, I hope you would get the best out of this course, and I wish each and every participant all the best.