Peace, Human Security and Dignity Week
Respect & protection of human rights
Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition
Discussion
- Others
| Transmission of simultaneous interpretation | Provided |
|---|---|
| Language of interpretation | Japanese and English |
Reservations are required for this programme.
Booking typically opens with the '2-month advance lottery.' Click below for details.
* Arrive early; latecomers may not be admitted.
For more information about making a reservation to watch a programme.
Please watch the Virtual Studio if you are outside the venue.
-
Agenda2025
Organised Programme
- * Programme times and content are subject to change. Any changes will be announced on this website and via the ticket booking system.
- * The schedule is subject to change depending on the organiser's circumstances.
- Time and
Date of
the event -
-
2025.08.12[Tue]
10:00 ～ 12:00
(Venue Open 09:30)
-
- Venue
- Theme Weeks Studio
Programme details
The programme, together with the General Sponsors, explores: 'What should we consider to overcome prejudice, discrimination & unconscious bias & respect/protect human rights?'
*Simultaneous interpretation is available in both English and Japanese. Please bring a smartphone, tablet or other internet-enabled device with earphones to listen.
Cast
Moderator
Izumi Nakamitsu
Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, UN
Ms. Izumi Nakamitsu assumed her position as Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs on 1 May 2017. Prior to taking on this post, Ms. Nakamitsu served as Assistant Administrator of the Crisis Response Unit at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) since 2014.
She has many years of experience within and outside the United Nations system, most recently as Special Adviser Ad Interim on Follow-up to the Summit on Addressing Large Movements of Refugees and Migrants between 2016 and 2017. She was previously Director of the Asia and the Middle East Division of the United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations between 2012 and 2014, and Director of the Department’s Division of Policy, Evaluation and Training, from 2008 to 2012.
Between 2005 and 2008, Ms. Nakamitsu was Professor of International Relations at Hitotsubashi University in Tokyo, where she also served as a member of the Foreign Exchange Council to Japan’s Foreign Minister, and as a visiting senior adviser on peacebuilding at the Japan International Cooperation Agency. Between 1998 and 2004, she was the Chef de Cabinet and Director of Planning and Coordination at the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, based in Stockholm, Sweden.
Earlier in her career, Ms. Nakamitsu was a member of the United Nations Reform Team of former Secretary-General Kofi Annan. She also held positions with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), including within the office of Assistant High Commissioner for Policy and Operations Sergio Vieira de Mello, and in UNHCR field operations in the former Yugoslavia, Turkey and northern Iraq.
Born in 1963, Ms. Nakamitsu holds a Master of Science degree in Foreign Service from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., and a Bachelor of Law degree from Waseda University in Tokyo.
She is married and has two daughters.
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Speakers
Cynthia Veliko
Regional Representative, OHCHR REGIONAL OFFICE FOR SOUTH-EAST ASIA
Ms. Cynthia Veliko has served with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) since 2006 as Human Rights Advisor in three countries - Pakistan, Sri Lanka and the Philippines - and was appointed in August 2017 as the Representative to OHCHR's Regional Office for South-East Asia. Prior to joining OHCHR, Ms. Veliko worked for five years at WHO for the Polio Eradication Initiative, supporting the efforts of the global implementing partners, governments and UNCTs in Asia and Africa. Ms. Veliko began her work with the UN in 1999 with the Department of Political Affairs where she was assigned to the Cyprus proximity talks in New York and then deployed to Haiti for the parliamentary and presidential elections in 2000.
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Koko Kondo
What Divides Us / Executive Producer
Born in Hiroshima in November 1944, A graduate of American University in Washington. D.C. Ms. Kondo was exposed to, and miraculously survived, the atomic bombing on August 6, 1945 at the age of 8 months at a parsonage 1.1 km from the hypocenter.
Her father Kiyoshi Tanimoto who was the pastor of Hiroshima Nagarekawa Chutch and a graduate Kwansei Gakuin School of Theology, helped many atomic bomb survivors and worked for peace both in Japan and abroad. Ms. Kondo has been active in the "Children as the Peacemakers Foundation" and others. She continues to speak out for peace through lectures in Japan and abroad.
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Taku Nishimae
1FUTURE Co Founder
Taku Nishimae, a New York-based Peabody Award-winning journalist, filmmaker, and TV producer. He is a highly regarded documentary producer and interviewer for NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation), where he covers a diverse range of topics including politics, economy, technology, arts, and culture.
Taku is the founder of ZENGO and a co-founder of 1Future with Cannon Hersey. 1Future is a media company dedicated to producing content that fosters social innovation. Currently, He's producing a feature film titled "WHAT DIVIDES US," which is slated for release in 2026. This human drama centers on the remarkable story of John Hersey, the American journalist who first brought the truth about the atomic bomb to the world, and Reverend Kiyoshi Tanimoto, an atomic bomb survivor who became his ally. This film is a groundbreaking Japanese-American co-production that delves into the profound questions of truth-telling and the possibility of hope amidst despair.
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Ilwad Elman
Elman Peace Centre
Ilwad Elman is a peace and development practitioner and social entrepreneur committed to building inclusive, resilient communities. She works at the intersection of conflict resolution, human rights, and security sector reform, ensuring those most affected, particularly women and youth, have a seat at the table.
As Chief Operating Officer of the Elman Peace Centre in Somalia, Ilwad has led pioneering initiatives in disarmament, reintegration, and peacebuilding, influencing both national policies and international frameworks for sustainable security and social justice.
Beyond her role at Elman Peace, she serves as an advisor, commissioner, or board member to several global initiatives, including the Every Woman Treaty to End Violence Against Women, the Global Commission on Modern Slavery and Trafficking, UNESCO’s Expert Group on Culture for Peace, the Africa Fund, and the Peace by Africa Network; which she co-founded to connect grassroots peacebuilders across nine African countries and elevate local solutions from community to policy level.
She has participated in prestigious leadership fellowships and is a member of several global impact networks such as the World Economic Forum Young Global Leaders, the Rockefeller Foundation’s Bellagio Alumni. Ilwad is also a council member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Nature and Security, an alumna of the UK Foreign Office International Leaders Program, Harvard University’s Global Leadership and Public Policy Program, and Spain’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs supported RAISA Women’s Leadership Fellowship.
Her work has been recognized with numerous awards, including the Gleitsman International Activist Award from Harvard University, the Hessian Peace Prize, The Right Livelihood Award, multiple Nobel Peace Prize nominations, and an Honorary Doctorate of Law from SOAS University.
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Ulysse Richard
Consultant, United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs
Mr. Ulysse Richard is a Consultant with the Science, Technology, and International Security Unit at the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA), focusing on the multilateral governance of AI in the military domain. Mr. Richard was an AI Policy Fellow at the Institute for AI Policy & Strategy, conducted cyber threat analysis at the CyberPeace Institute, and is part of the inaugural cohort of the Youth Leader Fund for a World Without Nuclear Weapons. He received a dual Master’s degree in international security and international relations from Sciences Po and Peking University.
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Hiroshi Kanamoto
President, Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations; Chairman, Aichi Prefecture Association of Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs Sufferers
Born on November 15, 1944. Lived in Hiroshima from elementary school, junior high school, high school, and university. Raised to be sickly from birth. Sick all the time (low white blood cell and red blood cell count). Worked at Nagoya Ichimura High School - retired; at age 70, became a member of the Aichi Atomic and Hydrogen Bomb Survivors' Association (2014); in 2015, Representative Director of the Tokai-Hokuriku Block of the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations.
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Peace, Human Security and Dignity Week
Respect & protection of human rights
-
2025.08.12[Tue]
10:00～12:00
(Venue Open 09:30)
- Theme Weeks Studio
- * Programme times and content are subject to change. Any changes will be announced on this website and via the ticket booking system.
- * The schedule is subject to change depending on the organiser's circumstances.
Reservations are required for this programme.
Booking typically opens with the '2-month advance lottery.' Click below for details.
* Arrive early; latecomers may not be admitted.
For more information about making a reservation to watch a programme.
Please watch the Virtual Studio if you are outside the venue.
OTHER PROGRAM
Peace, Human Security and Dignity Week
