New Year's Greetings 2004

 

New Year's Greetings from Mr. Seishiro Etoh, President

We wish you a Happy New Year! I would like to say thank you for your support for International Social Service Japan ( ISSJ) last year.

Japan ratified “the Convention of Children’s Rights” of the United Nations in 1994, and many other countries also did it. But I regret to say there are a lot of children still in a severe condition. We take it granted that the parents name their child and register his/her birth. However according to “the Statistical Results of One Hundred Years about Children” by UNICEF, more than two fifth of 132,000,000 children born in the world every year are not registered by some reasons. As the result it is not easy for them to get benefit of welfare. Under the present circumstances there are children who do not get birth registered even in Japan. In these years ISSJ has been dealing with these issues about stateless, foreign nationality and non-registered children, and will continue to be involved in such cases as one of the important issues.

Last year having started first year of new coming fifty years, ISSJ fully realized your great support and understanding. Even though ISSJ is a nongovernmental organization and is operated by limited resources and staff, we can give an international welfare for families and children, assistance to refugees, and support to Cambodian children. We are very grateful for the understanding of the related governmental ministries, agencies and organizations as well as the help of the supporting members and volunteers. From now on with a global point of view, we would like to continue to maintain our initial faith and enthusiasm, to respect human lives and to contribute to the society, considering “ cooperation ”and “net work”.

This year we will make more effort and do our best. We would like to ask your continuing corporation and contribution.

 

 

New Year’s Greeting from Mrs. Yaeko Otsuki, General Director


We wish you a Happy New Year 2004! We send you the best wishes.

In May 1993 “ The Hague Convention” was established, with the participation of Japanese government. Japan ratified “ The Convention of Children’s Rights” by the UN, but not “The Hague Convention” yet.

“The Hague Convention” requests that intercountry adoption should be done for children’s protection with international cooperation under the condition of the minimum substantial safe guard. Therefore, an approach to the children’s security is closed because Japan has not ratified the Convention, when intercountry adoption is pursued between countries which ratified the Convention. ISSJ is the only one nongovernmental organization approved by Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare that handles intercountry adoption. I think it is important that Japan ratifies “the Hague Convention” as soon as possible in order to get international confidence. In addition to that this year we will try to appeal the legalization of intercountry adoption.