Opinion

by Akira Tashiro, Executive Director of the Hiroshima Peace Media Center

This May will mark the ninth year since the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR, headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland) established an office in downtown Hiroshima. How will the organization strengthen its activities, including its effort to develop human resources for the reconstruction work taking place in Afghanistan, and deepen its cooperation with the A-bombed city of Hiroshima? The Chugoku Shimbun sat down with Dr. Carlos Lopes, 52, the executive director of UNITAR, during his brisk visit to the city of Hiroshima at the end of March to meet with local dignitaries, such as Hiroshima Governor Hidehiko Yuzaki, and a citizens’ group.

From the perspective of UNITAR headquarters, what sort of presence does the Hiroshima Office have?
The office in Hiroshima has become an indispensable part of UNITAR. UNITAR was founded in 1965 and many of its activities are concerned with peace issues. Hiroshima is the most suitable city in the world for considering such issues. Government officials and other figures from post-conflict areas, including Afghanistan, who visit the A-bombed city in connection with UNITAR programs not only learn about the devastating power and horror of nuclear warfare, they also find hope when they see that the city itself has been reconstructed from the ruins of the atomic bombing. These trainees are active in leadership roles in their own nations, with some even serving in such senior positions as government minister.

The Afghan training program is an outstanding effort, in my opinion. But the question of whether the fruits of the training are being fully applied back in the country, due to the unstable nature of security conditions there, remains a concern.
I believe that if you had attended the welcome reception held at the Afghan embassy in Tokyo, in connection with my visit to Japan, that concern would have evaporated. For the reception, the ambassadors from as many as 21 nations were present. They attended the reception to express their gratitude for the efforts that the UNITAR Hiroshima Office has undertaken. They said that their nations, most of which have spent a great deal of money to aid Afghanistan, have not achieved the kind of results that UNITAR has achieved. This is because UNITAR is focused on developing human resources to rebuild nations.

You believe that cultivating human resources is a crucial goal, and yet this is a time-consuming task.
Indeed. The number of people interested in applying for the training program is now increasing, and this makes it more difficult to select the 50 trainees each time.

I have heard that, if the budget allows, the scope of the training program will expand and include government officials and others from Iraq. What is the outlook for this idea?
I’m very grateful to the Hiroshima prefectural government and the City of Hiroshima for providing UNITAR with financial support. We didn’t have the wherewithal to extend our program to include Iraq, but the idea has finally been realized. JICA [Japan International Cooperation Agency] has also expressed its support and offered financial assistance. As part of the Hiroshima training program, 30 Iraqi trainees will visit the city this October.

You have praised the “global peace plan” put forth by Governor Yuzaki and Hiroshima Prefecture last November.
Many of the ideas found in the plan overlap with the efforts being made by UNITAR, such as developing human resources for peace building. In the future, it may be possible to incorporate some elements of the plan into our own programs. One example might be trainees from overseas learning from the experiences of Hiroshima while the people of Hiroshima learn from these trainees as they pursue the process of reconstruction in their nations. As for holding conferences on disarmament and peace with senior government officials in Hiroshima, the key to realizing this aim is making the “global peace plan” initiative known internationally and gaining the support of influential figures.

What sort of cooperation from UNITAR is possible in this area?
UNITAR training programs provide us with a global network. By making use of this network to the fullest extent, we would like to help disseminate Hiroshima’s plan and convey that this location is ideally suited to discuss issues of peace and disarmament.

UNITAR, along with NPOs in Hiroshima and other entities, has become actively involved in supporting the Green Legacy Hiroshima initiative, which involves sending seeds and saplings of A-bombed trees to locations overseas. What is UNITAR’s interest in this effort?
This initiative exemplifies and embodies the desire of Hiroshima and the world for peace. It would send a significant message if the offspring of A-bombed trees are planted in places such as the nuclear weapon states and in cities where international organizations are located. I would like to deepen our collaboration with the people of Hiroshima by making use of UNITAR’s international network.

What do you see as the future challenges of the Hiroshima Office?
We would like to strengthen the activities geared for the local community through such programs as the UNITAR Youth Ambassador program, which targets high school students in Hiroshima, and trainings on international conflict resolution at local universities. At the same time, deepening our relations with the central government of Japan is also a future challenge. I believe that the international efforts being undertaken by UNITAR will surely contribute to Hiroshima playing a global role when it comes to peace issues.

Profile

Dr. Carlos Lopes
Born in Guinea-Bissau in western Africa, Dr. Lopes received a Ph.D in history from the University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne. After serving in official capacities for Guinea-Bissau in areas of research and diplomacy, he joined the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in 1988. He assumed various posts, including resident representative in Zimbabwe and Brazil, and director of the Bureau for Development Policy. In 2005, Dr. Lopes became director for political affairs in the executive office of the U.N. secretary-general. Since March 2007, he has served as the head of UNITAR, as well as assistant secretary-general. Dr. Lopes is fluent in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and French. As an expert in planning and development, he has published widely in this field.

(Originally published on April 8, 2012)