Symposium in Commemoration of Tohoku University’s Participation in the
United Nations Academic Impact (UNAI)

UN DAY@TOHOKU UNIVERSITY

24 October is celebrated every year around the world as “UN Day”, in commemoration of the entry into force of the United Nations Charter on 24 October 1945. This year, UN agencies in Japan, in close partnership with Tohoku University, will celebrate the UN Day with the theme, “UN DAY@TOHOKU UNIVERSITY: Recovery and Regeneration from the Great East Japan Earthquake – Messages from Tohoku to the World”.

Challenges faced in Japan after the massive earthquake on 11 March are not unique to the Tohoku region or to Japan, and sharing the extraordinary live experience and lessons learned from Tohoku could also be a contribution to future disaster prevention and relief efforts at the international level. On “UN Day at Tohoku University,” we will compare the experiences of the disaster-affected areas with experiences from other UN disaster relief operations and hope to draw some lessons that can be shared globally.

Tohoku University, co-organizer of this year’s UN Day event in Japan, has recently joined the UN Academic Impact (UNAI), with a strong commitment to actively address global challenges. The vision of the UNAI is to align institutions of higher education, scholarship and research with the United Nations in furthering the realization of the purposes and mandate of the Organization through activities and research in a shared culture of intellectual social responsibility. As of September 2011, about 700 universities in 108 countries have joined the UNAI, and there are 10 participating universities from Japan including Tohoku University as of today.

Consisting of two parts in the morning and the afternoon, the UN Day symposium will examine the experiences in Tohoku from several different angles, inviting representatives from various sectors. In the morning session, professors of Tohoku University and Kobe University as well as private sector representatives will report on their efforts in disaster prevention and reconstruction. In the afternoon, representatives from UN agencies, NGOs and trade union who collaborated in disaster relief activities with local governments will discuss the significance of “partnership” in such effort. Also, student volunteers who actively participated in the disaster relief activities will share their experiences, with a view to sharing their messages with the world.

Onsite information booths will also be set up, to display information materials from UN agencies and partner organizations. Please join us at this UN Day 2011, co-hosted by Tohoku University and the UN agencies of Japan．As global citizens living in Japan, let us spread the messages from Tohoku to the world.

Event: UN DAY@TOHOKU UNIVERSITY: Recovery and Regeneration from the Great East Japan Earthquake – Message from Tohoku to the World
Time: 10:30-17:30, Monday, 24 October 2011 (Registration starts at 9:45.)
Venue: Kawauchi Hagi Hall, Tohoku University ( http://www.bureau.tohoku.ac.jp/hagihall/ )
Language: Japanese with simultaneous interpretation into English
Organized by: Tohoku University, United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) and other United Nations agencies based in Japan.
Supported by: Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), Global Compact Japan Network (GC-JN), The Business-University Forum of Japan (BUF)
Capacity: 1,200 participants available for each session
Fee: Free of charge
Registration: Prior online Pre-registration is required at:
http://www.tohoku.ac.jp/unday/form/
* For details and updates, please visit http://www.tohoku.ac.jp/unday/ .

Tentative Programme

Morning Session
Master of Ceremonies: Tomomi Hama

09:45- Start of registration

10:30- Opening
– Opening Remarks by Akihisa Inoue, President, Tohoku University
– Welcome Remarks by Hiroshi Komiyama, Representative, the Business-University Forum of Japan (BUF)
– Welcome Remarks by Emiko Okuyama, Mayor, Sendai City
– Video Message from UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
– Report on “Tohoku University-Kobe University Partnership Agreement in Disaster Science” by Hideki Fukuda, President, Kobe University

10:50-
Presentation 1:
“Regenerating a Sustainable Society: Proposals from the Academia”
Facilitated by Masahiro Yamaguchi, Professor, Tohoku University
-“Report from Kobe University” by Yasuo Tanaka, Professor, Kobe University
-“The Great East Japan Earthquake and Disaster Science”:
Food, Agriculture, and Village Support Projects by Professor Hiroshi Nakai
Strong Information Transition Networks during Disasters by Professor Masataka Nakazawa
Renewable Energy from Now by Professor Hiroo Yugami

11:50-
Presentation 2:
“Regenerating a Sustainable Society: Proposals from the Private Sector”
Facilitated by Seiichi Otaki, Professor, Tohoku University
-“What the Business Community Can Contribute for Recovery and the Regeneration of Japan” by Toshio Arima, Chairman, Global Compact Board Japan (GC-BJ)
– “Examples of Cooperate Activities”
Wataru Yokokawa, General Manager, Panasonic Cooperation
Tetsuo Hattori, Representative Director, Kanto Auto Works, Ltd.
Nobuo Hariu, President, Butai Farm Ltd.

12:40-
Closing
“Japan’s ‘Re-creation’ – With a Look to the Future” by Hiroshi Komiyama, BUF Representative

Afternoon session
Master of Ceremonies Yuki Matsuoka, Head, UNISDR Liaison Office in Japan

14:30- Start of Registration

15:00- Disaster and Recovery: United Nations in Action (video clip)

15:05- Opening Remark by Shinichi Hasegawa, Director, ILO Office in Japan

15:10-
Panel discussion: “Working in Partnership in the Affected Areas”
Facilitated by Mari Yamashita, Director, UNIC Tokyo
Panelist
– Misako Konno, UNDP Goodwill Ambassador and Actress
– Naoya Sano, WFP Partnership Manager
– Yutaka Kikugawa, Chief Coordinator, Japan Committee for UNICEF
– Nobutaka Azumi, Mayor, Onagawa-cho, Miyagi Prefecture
– Haruhisa Yamaneki, Executive Director, Organizational Affairs of Japanese Trade Union Confederation

16:25-
“Disaster and Volunteers — Towards a Youth Declaration”
Facilitated by Shinji Nagase, Liaison Officer, UNV Tokyo Office
– Yoshifumi Tajiri, Managing Director, Japan NPO Center
– Tatsuya Koyama, Section Chief, Disaster Management and Planning Bureau, Hyogo Prefectural Government Office
– Student representatives from Kobe University, Bukkyo University and Tohoku University

Youth declaration by Student representatives

17:25- Closing
Closing Remarks by Chikako Takase, Director, UNCRD

Exhibition Booths
Time: 9:45-17:45, Monday, 24 October 2011
Venue: Kawauchi Hagi Hall, Tohoku University
Faculty Club on the 1st floor and Foyer on the 2nd floor
Exhibition:
– Informational material on UN agencies and partners
– Introduction of activities of the Global Compact Japan Network (GC-JN)
– Presentation of activities by students’ volunteer group in Tohoku University
– Presentation of research on disaster science by Tohoku University and Kobe University

Inquiry:
Tohoku University (UN Day)
Tel: 022-217-5006/Fax: 022-217-4856　　　
e-mail: skk-som@bureau.tohoku.ac.jp

UN Information Centre (UNIC)
Tel: 03-5467-4451/Fax: 03-5467-4455
Web: https://www.unic.or.jp
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/UN.Japan

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