Secretary-General Hails Long-standing Contribution by Japan to Global Health, Disaster Risk Reduction, in Sixtieth Anniversary Video Message

Following is the text of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s video message marking the sixtieth anniversary of Japan’s accession to the United Nations, in Tokyo today:

Your Excellency Prime Minister Shinzo Abe,
Your Excellency Minister for Foreign Affairs Fumio Kishida,
Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,

I congratulate the Government and people of Japan on the sixtieth anniversary of membership in the United Nations.  When Japan joined the United Nations as a peace-loving country, the decision was welcomed by the Japanese public and the entire world.

Since then, Japan has shown a strong commitment to the United Nations Charter and made significant contributions to the Organization’s work.  Japanese personnel and troops have served with distinction in peacekeeping operations.  Japan is currently a member of the Security Council and has served 11 terms as a non-permanent member — the most among all Member States.

Japan has been a leader on global health, disaster risk reduction, the protection of refugees and efforts to safeguard the global environment and combat climate change.  Japan’s advocacy for “human security” helped to shape the Sustainable Development Goals, and Japan has been a generous contributor of financial resources.

I thank Japan for being an important and enthusiastic partner of the United Nations over the past six decades.  We look forward to strengthening our ties in the years ahead as we build a world of peace, prosperity and dignity for all.

Thank you.  Arigato gozaimasu.