JAPAN AND THE UNITED NATIONS The Struggle for a Permanent Seat with the Security Council
Boutros Boutros-Ghali once quoted that "Japan [had] better qualifications for permanent membership than other countries", opening the question to why Japan has been struggling to gain a permanent seat within the Security Council of the United Nations. My paper examines the internal and external forces that is making Japan's application impossible to progress. This includes attitude of former Security Council members, Japan's historical atrocities caused upon neighbouring countries, democratic versus socialist ideals and Japan's constitution, each obstructing Japan's desire for permanent membership.
In the 21st century, the political world continually assert that they push for peace and security. To have 'peace' on the agenda, it seems unjust that the Security Council have been pushing Japan to militarise just so Japan can have a fighting chance to become a possible permanent member. If the United Nations is indeed progressing for reform to reflect today's world, surely Japan is the perfect example of a nation who have succeeded in looking after one's interest, while maintaining to grow as a big economic nation without construing to military means with nuclear weapons. The philosophy of Article 9 is the logical extension of the UN Charter's goal to save future generations from scourge of war. As a mighty economic power, Japan deserves a permanent place within the Security Council.
“Sport teaches us to be better, overcoming politics and opinion” – Clarence Seedorf
Inter cultural and inter faith dialogue go hand-in-hand to conditioning diplomatic dialogue over the resort of war. The discussion of inter-faith dialogue and dignity is to promote and encourage global respect. As presented by HRH Prince Haakon of Norway, Professor Pekka Himanen and John Hope Bryant (CEO of Operation Hope), the power of dignity must be recognised in leading a change of attitude horizontally and vertically in the cross-sector of society. As an example, fellow delegate, Azraspoke of her fight to protect Baha’is in her country, which stimulated other delegates to speak out of their struggles of religion versus social norms. It was also amazing to hear personal stories from a man from Israel and a woman from Palestine, urging in solidarity for peace in their country, which is proof that barriers of misunderstanding can be broken.
Plenary based on inter-faith dialogue was supported by OYW counsellors, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, KenCosta (Lazard International), Yasmin Alibhai-Brown (journalist), Caspar Melville (New Humanist magazine), Iman Umer Ahmed Ilyasi, andClarence Seedorf (AC Milan footballer).
Elliott Verrault (Canada) shared his insights to living in Japan, where foreign form, substance and custom soon became second nature. When placed in a foreign existence, it is easier to pick up similarities – this perspective can be applied to religion. The core principles of religion is the same and the difference between form and substance disappear. Shobana Nair Saseedharan (Malaysia) stressed on the importance of respecting of each other to prevent inter-faith war. Wars justified by religious beliefs are fused by concentrating on what makes us different and do not make an effort in learning about other teachings of faith without the fear of threat.
Yama Meerzada (Afghanistan) yearns for peace for his generation in a country that has been torn by secular war. Religion is not the problem but the perception of religious beliefs led by human beings, stressing that wars are “man-made not god-made.” Daniel Nüesch (Switzerland) noticed that fear is a great division to the freedom of speech and fear of other religion leads to intolerance. These barriers must be torn by education.Veronica Esquivel Patiño (Mexico) used the bicycle wheel analogy, exemplifying that we are all equal and heading in the same direction.Bogdan Gogulan (Russia) shared his personal story of marrying a Muslim woman and the challenges of raising a child in a multi-faith relationship in suburban Europe.
Surprisingly, the practice of sport is a tool used by many professionals to overcome intolerance, prejudices and indignity. In a conversation led by footballer Clarence Seedorf, paralympic athlete Tanni Grey Thompson, William Goullard (UEFA), andAndy Anson (CEO of England 2018), panlists exemplified how sports is used as a form of diplomacy. In Rwanda, sports created a form of reconciliation, and here in England, football bridges the gap for migrate children new into the country, employing sports as a form of integration and communication with other children.
Religious leaders have an influential role in encouraging respect and tolerance of all faiths and teachings. Everyone has the right to practice their religion peacefully and see similarity in these values, and this must be married with any source of education available, be it through schooling or sports.
Draft Resolution (to be amended): In the belief that war must never be carried out in the name of religion, we call upon leaders and followers of faiths to unequivocally commit to deliver peace among nations, races and creeds.
The development of leadership is an issue close to my heart considering my path on diplomacy and international affairs. In an international youth summit such as this, there has never been a more appropriate time than to discuss how youths should engage in politics at a policy-making level.Dawn Butler (UK Minster for Youth) stated that youths often do not get a fair chance on the media and are ignored in the participation of greater politics in the UK or otherwise. While it is my personal conquest to influence young minds to the importance of youth and leadership, I strongly believe that the leaders of our generation can be found amongst many of the OYW delegates.
OYW counsellors for the youth development session consisted of Managing Director of YouGovStone Carole Stone, Professor Nick Haysom of UN Politics, activist Oscar Morales, Director of White House Internship Rachel Haltom-Irwin, and British Council CEO Martin Davidson.
As pinpointed by Nicolò Wojewoda (Italy), politics is the final obstacle to resolving many global issues. Rather than urge politicians to listen to our viewpoints, young people should aspire to become decision-makers and take responsibility to steer solutions. Daniel Buriticá Cordoba (Columbia) inspired us to “take poverty to the museums and violence to the history books” by committing to fight poverty and leading politics into a new era. Tej Samani (UK)stated the 21st century is the era where the definition of human rights is strengthened in all areas. Ruth Zlochevsky (Brazil) advocated an idea to create a reconstruction agency so professionals from all sectors in the world are readily available in time of crisis, such as the disaster in Haiti – taking an innovative step forward from UN peacekeepers and volunteers. Tan Ken Ling (Malaysia) very importantly touched upon the requirement for citizens to lobby governments in steering change as exemplified very readily by NGOs and historical movements throughout the 21st century. Trishna Jaishi (Bhutan) illustrated the point to refine, refresh and recreate a 21 spoke from a gender perspective with an examination of women being underrepresented in all sectors of society, an issue that must be addressed in order to assure a just world.
With many of the issues raised in the OYW Summit, the question of politics is just another institution that needs rebuilding.Don Tapscott - author of “Wikinomics” - exemplified how political leadership can get a face lift by harnessing innovative marketing tactics to reach segmented audience on a mass scale. This of course has great weight on today’s digital era. Politics and the development of leadership is not only about knowledge sharing but also how to utilise those knowledge to reach the right audience. By connecting ideas with people in each country, a common vision of what we would like the world to be like will become normalised. Acting with integrity and forming connections will give rise to networked intelligence.
Draft resolution (to be amended): In the belief that upholding human rights is essential, we call upon our political leaders to make clear their stance on humanitarian issues before we consider our support for them.
The media can act as one of the biggest bridge in diplomatic tact, yet lost in the cyclone of bureaucracy, power and autonomy, the message can be skewed and disempowered those who have no voice. The portrayal of Africa is one example to how the media can distort an image of an entire continent, and how we use the media is a hot topic for our generation.
Leading the media panel were OYW counsellors, activist Oscar Morales, Director of BBC Global News Richard Sambrook, CEO of EMI Music Elio Leoni-Sceti, and founder of AirAsia Tony Fernandes.
Introduced by Oscar Morales, Sunita Basnet (Nepal introduced gender into the discussion. Media has great advantages in empowering women, either through representing women’s views on air or female journalists making the news. Unfortunately in Nepal and other parts of the world, the quota of female journalists is low especially without the added protection in conflict areas where the rate of gender-based violence is unequivocal. Gifty Pearl Abenaab (Ghana) reminded that many still do not have access to media and do not have the ability to use the internet despite the widespread of its demand. Francesca Capuozza (Italy) said that media is “an extension to the human senses,” allowing individuals in a democratic society to express preferences without any conditions. Therefore the assessment of the media on a sociological and psychologically level is vital in pinpointing how media truly affects freedom. from
Christopher Eigelan (Australia) challenged that media hinders truth and personal freedom. Media is, by large, controlled by giant corporations who effectively influence public thinking and gives certain individuals extraordinary power to amplify their own viewpoints. However, citizens for the first time have the power to report their stories through the touch of a button. We now have the tools to expose issues that are usually controlled and can challenge the status quo. Michael Teoh (Malaysia) emphasised that this is the age of collaboration where “action proves everything in the world.” Thanks to the internet, citizens are no longer blinded by filtered information and instead have the power to use media as a platform to listen, share, learn and exchange valuable information. Radha Vij (USA) as a professional media exemplified the blur between real news and sensationalised entertainment. US media has failed to counter false government claims of Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction and failed to expose multinational business strategy to increased development problems. To move forward, media institutions must be strengthened.
With the chance to speak on the floor panel, I suggested that we should all become our own journalists, by taking with us cameras, podcasts, microphones to countries we visit, and interview those who have no media access. These stories can then be distributed in our own society and passed onto NGOs who have access to a wider audience.
A video-cam chat with The Fugees, Wyclef Jean exemplified just how easy it is to connect people anywhere in the world. Wyclef reported the devastation caused by the earthquake in his country, while speaking with OYW delegate Haitian delegate, James Alcime, who was in Haiti when the earthquake struck. As a way of sending our message, OYW delegates had the opportunity to broadcast their views on a live radio debate on theBBC "World Have Your Say: Review"Ros Atkins. The debate was based on corporation and profit, and I had many chances to speak, arguing that profits are invested into nuclear, military and arms trade – this led to an interesting debate to whether corporations are evil or not. presented by
Draft Resolution (to be amended): In the belief that freedom of speech promotes a successful society, we call upon the media to use its influence and power to help protect truth and personal freedom.
Global health is an issue that has been pushed in and out of the main political agenda in the last decade. With the catastrophic rise of climate change disasters, turning tide of the digital age, and conflicts over resources, global health is still being ignored – which is why this plenary was so heavily debated by delegates on the floor panel. There was great consensus that the impact of education on global health goes hand in hand ad will be reflected in the final resolution.
Plenary session on global health was led by OYW Counsellors, Professor Anne Johnson (Head of the UCL Division of Population Health), Flavia Pansieri (United Nations Volunteer), Sharon Bamford (UK India Business Council), and Zoya Phan (author of “Little Daughter”).
Pierre Roca (Denmark) reminded us that the right to healthcare is a recognised human right, just as half the Millennium Development Goals are related to health. Prioritising issues on the health agenda is an urgent case for reducing treatable diseases. Ajarat Bada (Nigeria) made an impressive speech focusing on where we are on fulfilling the MDGs. While there has been some improvement in the productivity of food, training local people on nutrition, and replicating Muhammad Yunus’ micro-finance model, the MDGs still fall short on its promise. Pharmaceutical companies must be lobbied to enable the transfer of patents and medical know-how to countries that cannot afford prescriptions, and reach remote villages that still have no access to basic healthcare. Training to be a school teacher, Karl Benson Molina (Philippines) addressed that extreme poverty equates to hunger and malnutrition. The Philippines is endowed with rich natural resources but due to high commodity prices, people are unjustly suffering from chronic poverty, surviving on scavenging through garbage tips which are then being sold to restaurants at a price. “Hunger is more than having an empty stomach,” it is about keeping one’s dignity.
Lucian Tarnowski (UK) stressed that “everything ends and starts with education” as a means to prevent illnesses and encouraging better nutrition. Prevention is foremost and breaking myths and misconceptions of diseases by any means will promote better standard of living for all. With HIV and AIDS on the forefront of Uganda’s national agenda, Alexa Mabonga consents that sharing information is key in spreading awareness. 50% of individuals living with HIV/AIDS are between 15-25 years - our generation. In the height of the digital age, it is easier to disseminate health information, either through text, video, sound or visual form. Charlie Maddock (USA) agreed on the education factor, however pointed out that practitioners must be better trained. He shared his story of suffering from brain trauma and more on his incredible survival can be found on:http://www.charlesmaddockfoundation.org/.
As part of the Global Poverty Project, founder Hugh Evans from Australia presented a film premiere educating delegates on the devastation of extreme poverty across the world. 1.4 billion people live in extreme poverty and the project aims to invigorate a global movement to take effective concerted action through presenting stories about those living in this condition. To join the Global Poverty Project, visit: http://www.globalpovertyproject.com.
Draft resolution (to be amended):In the belief that all humans have the right to healthcare and nutrition, we call upon businesses, governments and civil societies to work together more effectively to prioritise spreading information about and providing access to good healthcare and nutrition.
Diplomatic consultant with a special focus on corporate social responsibility, climate change, UN reform, gender justice and nuclear disarmament. My vision is to one day close the gap between civil society and key decision makers for a common cause. I am also in the process of publishing my fiction novel, based on the popular video-game, Street Fighter. With any luck, Capcom will take this on next year.
"Smile and let the world smile with you"!
