Retirement Message

NAGANO Hiroshi, former President of the Minato UNSCO Association

　Six years flew by since I took over from Ms. TAKAI Mitsuko the position of MUA President back in 2016.  Formerly, I did not have any experience in UNESCO activities.  It was after the merger of the Science and Technology Agency of the Prime Minister’s Office and the former Ministry of Education that unexpectedly I came to have involvement in UNESCO as one of my responsibilities.  Thereafter I became aware of the importance of grass-roots UNESCO activities and started to support the National Federation of UNESCO Associations in Japan.  That’s when I became acquainted with Ms. TAKAI and joined MUA at her recommendation.  My original intention was just to make whatever possible contributions to a regional MUA activity but I ended up succeeding Ms. Takai as MUA president. 

　Taking this opportunity, I’d like to extend my hearty thanks to MUA Vice Presidents, MUA officers and members, secretariat staff, as well as the Minato City Board of Education for their consistent support during my 6-year tenure.

　Without any doubt, the driving force of MUA resides in the highly motivated attitude of its members.  As we can see from its event fliers, MUA, a group of all volunteers, has actively held an exceptionally wide range of programs over the years.  Perhaps a weakness is in the insufficiency of young members.  However, in recent years, MUA started to hold vibrant youth-oriented programs in cooperation with the Tokyo University of Maritime Science and Technology and sees a big potential in this direction. 

　To fulfill the ideal of peace proposed in the UNESCO Constitution, solidarity must be established among grass-roots people in different countries, based on mutual understanding as aptly expressed in the said constitution.  In other words, peace treaties concluded between governments are not exempt from violation at any moment.  Pursuit of peace is a complex challenge, intertwined with various issues such as global environment, food, energy, cities, religion and economic disparity.

　Russian invasion into Ukraine awakened us to face a serious realistic issue, and demonstrated the said vulnerability of inter-governmental treaties.  Now is the time for all UNESCO associations across Japan to strengthen their pursuit of the shared mission because we are into a new era where our commitment to peace is again challenged more than ever.

　Mr. TANABE Kiichiro, my successor as MUA president, graduated from a renowned U. S. university in those days when only few Japanese students were present in American campuses.  He has completed a successful business career in international fields.  Not only has he shared the values required for thinking about what and how citizens should think and act in the coming era but also he has been actively involved in grass-roots activities.  I trust that under his leadership MUA will accomplish still more advancement.  Let me conclude with my best wishes for MUA.

(Translated by TANAHASHI S., the PR & Internet Committee)