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ISSJ
50th Aniversary Celebration
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for YORIKO KAWAGUCHI
Minister of Foreign Affairs
by Seiji MORIMOTO
The
world faces new issues such as poverty, environmental destruction, internationally
organized crimes and infectious diseases, which are needed to be dealt with
on the global level beyond the country borders, attendant on the rapid progress
of globalisation in the world economy and international society.
Since established in 1952, your agency has been devoted for your aims such
as intercountry adoption, international children/famiy consultation services
such as family reunion, counseling services for international marriages, promotion
services for Indo-China refugees in social adjustment, assistance services
for refugees and asylum seekers, training of international social workers.
50 years of your history is highly valued footsteps of as an agency that has
played an important and steady role within the history of humanitarian assistance
in our country, and have concretely performed in the humanity area that Japan
is strongly required by the international society to act upon, and that your
activities have been recognized not only in/out of the country, but within
the international society.
The refugee issues in particular, continue still to be serious and complex
issues in the world of the 21st Century. And yet more efforts and continuous
correspondence by Japan is needed for resolution of the problems. At present
many people in various areas of the world including Angola, Sudan and Afghanistan,
are in difficult situations.
As the Japanese Government, cooperating and in partnership with concerned
countries and international agencies, we intend to continue to endeavour for
those people in difficult circumstances such as refugees to be able to return
to their home country as well as return to their normal life.
Upon this 50th anniversary of your agency, we as the Japanese Government intend
to continue and strengthen the cooperative relationship with your agency towards
resolution of the refugee issues, in order to contribute even more to the
international society in the field of humanitarian assistance.
Before concluding, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to President
Seishiro Eto and his staff who put so much efforts towards the activities
of the International Social Service Japan. I would like to also thank from
my heart, all the people concerned including the UNHCR and the Ministry of
Health, Labour and Welfare. Thank you very much for your invitation to this
ceremony today.
(Note: The above document is translated by the
International Social Service Japan,
and should not be recognized as the official translated document of the Ministry
of Foreign Affairs.)
