South Sudan in Africa is the world’s newest country.
The political struggles in South Sudan leadership with ethnical conflict in background escalated into a major armed clash in December 2013 led to civil war with endless retaliations from both sides against one another. Another major clash was occurred in July 2016 and over 1.9 million people left home and refuged within South Sudan. (UNHCR)
There are around 20 different ethnic groups within South Sudan, within the domestic refugee camps and their surroundings conflicts spring up for a variety of reasons such as differences in ethnicity, troubles between the camps’ host community and the refugees and antagonism between current refugees and those newly arrived from elsewhere in the country.
The difficult situation caused by the current unstable political situation and food shortages also lead to almost daily outbreaks of violence.
The ICC has invited Ms. Tomomi Yoshikawa, a staff member of the Japan Center for Conflict Prevention NPO which is working in South Sudan to bring a resolution to the civil war, as a guest to give a talk session.
Ms. Yoshikawa is currently engaged in work aiming at promoting ethnic harmony and peaceful coexistence between the peoples of South Sudan.
She is conducting courses for the next generation of young leaders where they can study prevention of conflicts, arbitration, resolution and leadership.
Also, using cooperative agriculture, she aims to give competing ethnic groups the successful experience of improving their own lives by working together rather than the conflict, and through this hopes to create a natural situation of peaceful coexistence between the peoples of South Sudan.
Doing something for another person, finding something you can grapple with and bet your life on, a sense of accomplishment.
This could be said about the way of working in an international organization and the field of international cooperation.
People are all different and have very different ways of living, however these are some things I believe we all share!
Don’t miss it! Come and join our talk!
Guest Profile
Ms.Tomomi Yoshikawa
Studied international law, conflict resolution and peacebuilding at Kyoto University and Uppsala University in Sweden. Worked as a linguistics specialist at the Ministry of Defence from 2015. Coordinated international peace cooperation and emergency aid etc. From 2017 she worked for 5 months in Juba, capital of South Sudan as a liaison for the international peace cooperation activities of the JSDF. From May 2018 she has been working at her current position. Mainly managing the projects aimed at promoting peaceful co-existence between people of opposing ethnicities within South Sudan.
JCCP(Japan Center for Conflict Prevention)
An authorised NPO which supports peacebuilding in Africa and the Middle East. Currently conducts activities mainly in various African and Middle Eastern countries including South Sudan, Kenya, Somalia, Turkey (supporting refugees from Syria and Iraq).
Website
Time & Date
Jun 5, 2019 (Wed) 6:15-7:45pm (Doors open: 6:00pm)
Eligibility
Waseda Students, Staff & General Public
Place
Okuma Garden House (1F Bldg. 25)
Language
Japanese (Q&A in Japanese & English)
Fee
Free!
Registration
Not required.
(80 seats, first come first serve, standing room available)
Inquiries
TEL: 03-5286-3990
E-mail:[email protected]
