Secretary-General hails reverend takeyasu miyamoto as tireless children’s

advocate, legendary humanitarian, in ninetieth birthday message

Following is the text of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s message on the occasion of the ninetieth birthday of Reverend Takeyasu Miyamoto, as delivered today in Tokyo by Kul C. Gautam, Assistant Secretary-General and Deputy Executive Director, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF):

I am delighted to send my greetings to Reverend Takeyasu Miyamoto on the occasion of his ninetieth birthday.

Reverend Miyamoto is a tireless advocate for children and a legendary humanitarian.  Through the Arigatou Foundation, he has long championed grass-roots efforts to improve the lives of children everywhere.  His vision and commitment also led him to establish the Global Network of Religions for Children, a worldwide interfaith network dedicated to the well-being of children.

At the 2002 United Nations General Assembly Special Session on Children, Reverend Miyamoto spoke with great conviction as a representative of the world’s religious communities.  He emphasized that any effort towards a better world had to focus on children.  He also proposed, and subsequently helped found, a global Council on Ethics Education for Children.

Many of the faith-based organizations founded by Reverend Miyamoto work closely with several United Nations agencies, including the United Nations Children’s Fund, the United Nations refugee agency, and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.  Every day, these collaborations help advance our shared mission to promote child rights, world peace and global understanding.

I thank Reverend Miyamoto for his decades of service to humanity, and wish him continuing good health for many years to come.

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For information media • not an official record