Sadako Ogata’s Aspirations and “Human Security” Today
June 20 is “World Refugee Day,” a day designated to raise awareness and support for those who have been forced to become refugees due to conflict and other reasons. Sadako Ogata, who served as UN High Commissioner for Refugees and President of JICA, has advocated the concept of “human security. How can this “human security” be inherited and applied in today’s world of new threats such as infectious diseases and military invasions?
The concept of human security was rooted in JICA’s efforts by Sadako Ogata, who was involved in refugee assistance at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for many years and later served as JICA’s President. Later, in 2003, the UN Commission on Human Security compiled a report that advocated “creating a world in which all people can escape fear and lack and live in full dignity. A New Form of Refugee Assistance Practiced in Uganda After working for UNHCR in providing humanitarian assistance to refugees and for the United Nations in compiling the concept of human security, Ms. Ogata has focused on providing assistance to vulnerable populations, including refugees, from the standpoint of development cooperation that encourages self-reliance and addresses the root causes of crises from a medium- to long-term perspective at JICA Mr. Ogata.
When I was working as an international NGO worker in post-conflict Rwanda, assisting people returning from refugee camps in Tanzania, I remember well how Ogata-san, then the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, encouraged development agencies to seamlessly initiate reconstruction assistance after humanitarian aid had helped refugees return. I remember that very well.”
This is the view of Eri Komukai, a JICA international cooperation specialist who works on peacebuilding support for refugees and other issues.
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