SECRETARY-GENERAL WELCOMES ESTABLISHMENT OF ACADEMIC COUNCIL ON THE UNITED NATIONS SYSTEM IN JAPAN
Press Release
SG/SM/6764
SECRETARY-GENERAL WELCOMES ESTABLISHMENT OF ACADEMIC COUNCIL ON THE UNITED NATIONS SYSTEM IN JAPAN
19981021 Following are the remarks of Secretary-General Kofi Annan delivered today in Tokyo at the founding ceremony for the Academic Council on the United Nations System in Japan:It is a pleasure indeed to join you for this ceremony. The Academic Council on the United Nations System (ACUNS) is one of many little-known parts of the United Nations community which, quietly but effectively, make significant contributions to our thinking about the major challenges of our times and the role of the United Nations in addressing those challenges. As a long-time member of ACUNS, I am proud to see the growth and expansion into Asia evident here today.
One of my most important responsibilities is to promote better understanding about the United Nations, not only in the halls of government -- even there you would be surprised how much this is needed -- but also among the varied communities that make up civil society. More and more in today's world we face the same problems: problems that are growing more complex and are beyond the power of any nation to address on its own. We need new ideas, new forms of cooperation and new partners.
Scholars, teachers and others in the academic community already play an important role. Academic groups consult regularly with United Nations bodies and participate in technical assistance programmes. The United Nations itself has several research centres and institutes, including, of course, the United Nations University here in Tokyo. But we must go further. The United Nations must not limit itself to its own expertise, formidable as this might be. We need to reach out and tap the knowledge of the world at large.
Since 1987, the Academic Council has done just that: providing vital scholarship and analysis about multilateral approaches to world problems. It has also served as a valuable two-way channel of communication between the United Nations and the academic world. But the membership of the Academic Council has so far been largely centred in Europe and North America. Today we broaden that horizon with the establishment of ACUNS in Japan, with its headquarters at the University of Tokyo.
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This is good news for several reasons: First, it brings ACUNS to a United Nations Member State that plays a major role across the breadth of the international agenda, from disarmament to development. Second, it deepens the involvement of civil society institutions in the work of the United Nations. And third, it sets the stage for a further broadening of ACUNS into other parts of Asia.
I would like to congratulate all who have made this possible, including:
-- The international membership of ACUNS;
-- My good friend Yasushi Akashi, who has been chairman of the Preparatory Committee for ACUNS/Japan;
-- Another good friend and trusted colleague, Sadako Ogata, who will be a senior adviser to ACUNS/Japan and who, as you know, will be staying on as United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees for another two years;
-- And Professor Yozo Yokota, a former United Nations human rights special rapporteur and law professor and a driving force behind the inauguration we celebrate today.
All of you have again demonstrated your commitment to the United Nations at a crucial moment in world affairs. Please let me know what I can do to assist your work. You are our partner; I am yours.
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