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Japan-UNESCO strategic dialogue 2023: sharing lessons learned on crisis and transition response
Discussions focused on 6 Strategic Priority Areas at the heart of the partnership between Japan and UNESCO, namely the protection of all forms of heritage in crisis, education for sustainable development, the UN Decade of Ocean Science, ResiliArt, disaster risk reduction and ethics of artificial intelligence. These are all areas where the Japan UNESCO partnership has yielded impactful results, and Japan is a lead knowledge partner for UNESCO.
For example, following the earthquake in Haiti in August 2021, 240 masons and 70 engineers have been trained to construct resilient buildings.
Education for Sustainable Development is being accelerated at country level with 79 countries committing to upscale and mainstream this theme in education policy and practice.
Uganda benefited from emergency assistance to rehabilitate the architectural masterpiece of the Tombs of Buganda Kings at Kasubi following a devastating fire in 2010 in view of removing the site from the list of World Heritage in danger.
The meeting brought together the senior management team of UNESCO with senior representatives of all UNESCO’s main Government partners including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, and the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology.
H.E. Mr. Atsuyuki Oike, Ambassador, Permanent Delegate of Japan to UNESCO, highlighted the common approaches that underpin UNESCO programmes supported by Japan including an emphasis on environment and resilience, the critical role of communities and the promotion of digital policy and recourse to digital tools for implementation.
Participants also discussed lessons learned and best practices in crisis and transition situations. Mr Xing Qu, Deputy Director-General highlighted the impactful support provided by Japan in responding to emergencies. Japan is UNESCO’s largest donor for its programmes in Ukraine, contributing almost USD 10 million to emergency measures. “By intervening in emergencies, we can protect the conditions for recovery later on – so the suffering of today does not overshadow tomorrow too” said Mr Qu.
