The 3rd study meeting

First meeting with Mr.Yosiyuki Yamamoto

Sato:

Yosiyuki Yamamoto has work experience in the Afghan regional office of the United Nation Commissioner for Refugees and is now working at the law research center. I expect him to participate in our study group as a cooperator especially in personnel training work.

< Short self-introduction of each member and explanation of outline >

Sato's report

Sato:

I met Murai of Sophia University and I got an explanation of the COE on conflict being held at Sophia University. The basic emphasis of the COE is on how to grasp regional conflicts, which occur naturally, during the process of studying an area. It is also based on seeing global incidents from a local viewpoint by not focusing on conflict. Yamamoto also participated in it.
Yamamoto: My report on the COE will be printed soon.

Sato:

I would like to listen to it. We have not yet clearly decided on what direction we will choose for our study. We have discussed, in the first two meetings, the kind of direction we should choose. In these meetings Arakaki gave us his lecture on refugees. Those teachers whose specialty is development are not interested in the refugee problem to begin with. In that sense, this is a new approach.

When he was working at JICA, it seemed to be thought that the refugee problem is not a development problem. The support room for peace building will open in JICA this October. I met the director of the general training institute for international cooperation. According to him, the content is not yet decided.

I went to the Cabinet Office in order to make arrangements. Since the realization of the proposal submitted at the private meeting of the Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary was discussed in the Cabinet Office, I was asked to give a report at our briefing. The person I interviewed at the Cabinet Office is on loan from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology and he said to me that he would like to hear our lecture because the consideration of how personnel training is related to conflict will become important work from now on. But it is unclear whether we can work on personnel training or not. The teachers should have appropriate experience and knowledge.

Because I offered extension courses last year and also received the budget for this year, I will start the study meetings mainly in my specialty. I submitted peace building as one subject for next year. As a method for the lecture, I am considering using an omnibus style that leaves the content to the teachers or to invite associate members from Harvard University. If we can give some of the lectures, they will welcome it because they have fewer specialists in Asia. Our university does not have enough know-how about Asia, so if someone who has actual experience on the site can cooperate with us, we welcome that person to participate. We are much pleasured that Yamamoto can come to join us.

Exchange of opinions related to the report

Yamamoto:

I made a report at Sophia University with little preparation. Although many researchers who look at peace building or similar subjects come to the field from all over the world, the gap between reality and the actual field of study is wide. Moreover, even common technical terms among researchers have not been established. It is our impression that the researchers do not speak the same language, so we cannot start to study the research area without changing the situation. The people who are working in the field want advice from academic people. In response, we have arranged the terms in order to make a common language. These materials are made by using Power Point.

Sato:

I hope you will speak to us again in the near future. I also feel that the viewpoint to conflict is different. We cannot close the gap without approaching the subject from the various viewpoints.

* * *

Yamamoto:

There is no professional school in Japan. There is an organization where talent promotion concerning development is done, but the necessary know-how for solving dispute is quite different.

Although there are some schools in the United States and Britain, there is nothing in Japan. Even if conflict will occur, the Japanese government cannot send emergency rescuers from JICA under the present law. The agency that can, at this time, be sent is only the Organization for International Peace Cooperation of the Cabinet Office, but this organization has only a secretariat. This condition is not good, so we have to establish a program for personnel training by focusing on this point. However, because it is impossible to do so immediately, I am considering that we, first, experimentally, give lectures based on the contents of a professional school and use the experimental results as basic materials when we establish a professional school for personnel training and the course in the future.

Sato:

I personally hope that we will publish a paper and a book on the results of this study group and establish a training center for research and education, including personnel training concerning peace building. Now, we have a discussion that suggests we need a special graduate school and I proposed peace building. Because this plan is not necessarily limited to be made only by our research study, I am thinking that we should establish the center in cooperation with various specialists from other fields, such as the department of law. An organization like the NPO would be acceptable. By all means, please express your ideas.

Yamamoto:

Practical needs exist not only in Japan, but also in all of the Asian area. Training from the UNHCR is useful as basic information. They are teaching a wide range of skills there from how to pact a bag to peace building and conflict resolution theory there. If we need to train a person who will be able to act in the field, such a wide range of training is necessary. Those organizations giving training about conflict like the UNHCR are in the United States and Britain. I think it is best to gather teachers from many organizations by linking with them in the future. From the beginning, possible candidates should be selected from people from all over the world, not limited to Japanese. It will become an international contribution that Japan is eager to be involved with.

* * *

Sato:

Because there are many things that cannot be done within the framework of our university, it might be good to start up as a NGO. I would like to create a group of core members in order to invite various people to participate in our project. A person who has no experience cannot give training. On the other hand, theoretical research from a different viewpoint from the field and area study, which makes it possible to understand the current situation of the country, is also important. Because this work cannot be done by one research study course, we should establish an organization that can bring the right person at the right moment by making a network.

Yamamoto:

Although various topics are run on the site, we do not have enough time to think because we have many things that should be done. So is some work that can be done by universities and research organizations.

< Yamamoto left. >

Yamamoto's report

Yamamoto:

Arakaki and I went to Geneva. Our purpose was to research the relationship between the organizations related to refugees and peace building activities. The targets of our interviews were the UNHCR, the Red Cross, and the International Organization for Migration, and the UNDP. Our main target was the UNHCR. Overall, we got the impression that the relationship between humanitarian assistance and peace building did not have a clear authorized direction yet from either an official standpoint in each organization or at a personal level.

They are forming an informal working group. Traditionally the refugee was an object of emergency aid, but now there is a movement that views the refugee as an actor. At the present stage, they are engaged in activities which can actually be viewed as peace building, but the activities of each organization are not mainly as peace building, and have only a limited relationship with peace building.

In my opinion, a commitment from the academic standpoint can contribute to building a theory model of the gap between the UNHCR, which expresses a non-political and neutral stance, and other political organizations.xchange of opinions related to the report

Sato:

The bombing incident occurred in Iraq. Did you talk about security? I understand that the humanitarian assistance organization expresses a non-political and neutral stance, but if they are attacked, the non-political and neutral stance will be lost.

Yamamoto:

I could not ask how they secure neutrality.

Futamura:

What is the formal name of the IOM?

Yamamoto:

The International Organization for Migration.

Sato:

The word immigrant has a wider meaning than "refugee", which means compulsory immigrant.

Yamamoto:

The organization seeks operational activity. It is not an agency of the U.N. Arakaki said he was surprised to hear that the ICRC had a program teaching a humanitarian way of thinking to each organization in their activity. I asked whether they had a guideline and basic principle. I sensed the difficulty of working to adjust the various organizations toward one purpose.
Sato: ICRC is the abbreviation for the International Committee of the Red Cross. They have sponsored the creation of a law called the International Humanitarian Law. Such a Geneva agreement is called a war law and must be adhered to by the parties that cause war. However, in order to keep the neutrality of an organization, for instance, even if the staff of the organization met political prisoners and knew that torture had been carry out on them from meeting with them, sometimes the organization cannot make this knowledge public because of other trade-offs. Some of the medical staff criticize this aspect of the neutrality position.

Nakanishi's report

Nakanishi:

I went to Iran from July 29 to August 22 and to Turkey from August 23 to September 1. The main purpose of the visit was to research how "The return program of Afghan refugees in Iran" implemented by the UNHCR and Iranian government since last April had advanced and what the actual conditions of the Afghan refugees was.

The UNHCR and the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs are jointly implementing the return program.

Through the program, a refugee camp of 2.5 million people decreased to about 2 million people and has further decreased to about 1.8 million people this year. However, the actual number for this year is less than half of the expected number which was 500,000 people. There is statistical data that the return program does not advance.

I actually interviewed the Afghan refugees about the reasons why the return program was not advancing.

In the case of refugee families, the father would return first to inspect the situation. Generally he came back because the situation was not good. However, most people return after their inspection because the situation is bad. The total number of refugees does not decrease because of repetition.

On the other hand, the programs for personnel training for Afghan refugees who remain have been managed by three groups: the UNHCR, the Home office, and NGOs because the situation should not be left without providing help. In the future, the UNHCR is considering stopping the educational support program. Their reasoning for stopping the program is that, although peace building will not advance easily because of the Afghan's bad situation, the continuation of educational support to Afghan children in Iran does not become an incentive for their return. If this change in policy is implemented, the approach that NGOs have a central role will be needed. I have other things to report, but I have not yet summarized them. I plan to report at the Middle East congress of North America being held in Canada in November, after that I will be able to report again.

* * *

Sato:

Nakanishi will go to Afghanistan during the next school year.

Nakanishi:

I will go to Kabul in Afghan and work as an educational support adviser from Japan for the Minister of Education in Afghan. The work period of my predecessor was one year, but I requested they make my period of work to be for half a year.

Sato:

The lecture this time was about refugees who return to Afghanistan, so it is a continuous story.

Nakanishi:

I plan to return to Japan once while I am away and then I will report to you in this meeting.

Others

Sakurai:

The meeting regarding the application for the expenses for science and research was held yesterday. Peace building might be admitted to the COE.

Sato:

It is certain that our study will get the budget, although where from is not yet decided.

Sakurai:

I felt that we can make our work the base for the personnel training in Asia because various results will be produced.

* * *

Sato:

What do you think about the idea that we hold an event connected to next year? A good time is only at the end of January.

Futamura:

If we hold a symposium, it will be difficult because the lead time is short. Moreover, I think it is difficult because we are busy with work related to examinations.

Sato:

The next school year might be better. Even if we decide to hold it next school year, we should start now. One approach would be that we invite someone from a foreign country and ask him to give a speech.

I am thinking of beginning cooperation with NGOs at an early stage. Noda at Chubu University seems to be interested in this type of cooperation. I hope a person from a NGOs will come to speak.

We should involve more area researchers in our study. For instance, the researchers looking into Sri Lanka and Indonesia in Asia.

Futamura:

Also the conflicts in Central America, as I have said before.

Sato:

I hope you take the initiative and act on and on.

Nakanishi:

I will go to Indonesia for work related to JICA from January 22 to 25. At that time, I will establish a network in Indonesia.

Sato:

I would like to hold an informal study meeting at lunch time on Wednesday. I hope to exchange opinions and to improve our motivation.

Homepage

Sugimoto and Hayakawa from the CCDI explained the idea of a homepage and obtained our acknowledgment. We will ask that the necessary materials and data be submitted for a mailing list.

Schedule for the next time

The 4th study meeting on peace building
1:30- 3:00, Friday, November 14
Member meeting
3:00 - 5:00
Open study meeting