A Decade of Partnership

Mr. Atul Khare became the Under-Secretary-General for Operational Support on 1 January 2019. He was previously appointed Under-Secretary-General for Field Support on 2 March 2015.

Mr. Khare brings to the position strategic management and innovative reform expertise in both headquarters and field perspective. Most recently, he co-chaired the Secretary-General’s internal review on Management Reform, one of his key change initiatives to improve the effectiveness of mandate delivery and to enhance transparency and accountability within the Organization. Mr. Khare has had a long senior career with the United Nations. In 2010-11, he served as Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations and Deputy Head of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations in New York. He was later appointed as Assistant Secretary-General in the Change Management Team (2011-2012).

Mr. Khare was previously Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Timor-Leste and Head of the United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste (UNMIT) at the level of Under-Secretary-General (2006-2009), working earlier as Chief of Staff and Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General with the United Nations Mission of Support in East Timor (UNMISET).

Former Director of The Nehru Centre and Minister (Culture), High Commission of India in London (2005-2006), Mr. Khare served during his tenure with the Indian Foreign Service in its diplomatic missions in France, Mauritius, Senegal, Thailand and the United Kingdom as well as the Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations in New York.

Mr. Khare holds bachelor’s degrees in Medicine and Surgery from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences as well as master’s degrees in Business Administration and Leadership from the University of Southern Queensland, Australia.

Born in India in 1959, he is married.

Nobukatsu Kanehara is the Executive Director of the Sasakawa Peace Foundation and a professor at Reitaku University. He served as Assistant Chief Cabinet Secretary to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe from 2012 to 2019. In 2013, he became the inaugural Deputy Secretary-General of the National Security Secretariat, a role which he held until he retired from government service in 2019. He also served as Deputy Director of the Cabinet Intelligence and Research Office. From 2020 to March 2025, he served as a professor at Doshisha University. Mr. Kanehara’s role in the Cabinet built on a distinguished career at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where he served in several notable positions, including Director-General of the Bureau of International Law, Deputy Director-General of the Foreign Policy Bureau, Ambassador in charge of the United Nations and Human Rights. He served abroad as Deputy Chief of Mission in Seoul, Republic of Korea, and as Political Minister at the Embassy of Japan in Washington. He was decorated by the president of the Republic of France with l’Ordre de la Legion d’Honneur.

Mr. MORIKAWA joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1991 after graduating from the University of Tokyo with a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.). His diplomatic career includes postings at the Permanent Mission of Japan to the United Nations (serving as Vice-Chair of the Third Committee during the 57th session of the UN General Assembly), the Embassies of Japan in France and Iran, as well as key roles such as Assistant to the State Minister for Foreign Affairs and Director of the Press Division at the HQs. From 2018, he served as Minister (Deputy Head of Mission) at the Embassy of Japan in Iran. From 2020 to 2024, he was Ambassador and Executive Director of the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF) located in Singapore. He has served in his current position since September 2024.

Ai Kihara-Hunt is Professor at the Graduate Program on Human Security at the University of Tokyo. She co-authored the Independent Study on the Future of Peacekeeping, New Models and Related Capabilities for the UN Peacekeeping Ministerial 2025. She researches on human rights, the rule of law, accountability and UN Peace Operations. Prior to 2016, she worked for the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (UN-OHCHR), UN Peace Operations, other UN offices, and in two universities. Her publications include: Holding UNPOL to Account: Individual Criminal Accountability of United Nations Police Personnel (Brill, 2017).

After graduating from School of Economics, Nagoya University, he began his career with Ground Self-Defense Force in 1998. He was assigned to leadership roles and staff assignments. His international experience includes serving as the liaison officer to the U.S. Central Command, a chief staff officer of Japan-U.S. coordination department and Military Adviser at the Permanent Mission of Japan to the UN. He later served as Commander of the 4th Field Artillery Group. In March 2024, he assumed the duties as the Director of JPC, holding training courses for international peace operations and representing Japan’s contributions to worldwide peace and security.

Takakazu’s extensive UN career includes diverse roles in political affairs and peace operations management, support and reform. He has served as Senior Programme Officer in the Office of the Under-Secretary-General for Operational Support, and as Special Assistant to both the Under-Secretary-General for Field Support and the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Timor-Leste. Takakazu has spearheaded key UN peace operations partnership initiatives, including the TPP, the UN- African Union Expertise Exchange Programme and the telemedicine project which received the Secretary-General’s award in 2024. He holds a Master's from Long Island University and a Bachelor's from Tokyo University of Foreign Studies.

Ippeita conducts research on Japan’s foreign engagement policies and tools, in particular, foreign aid and security cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, as well as international peace operations. He is the lead editor/author of the book and the policy proposals on Japan’s Defense Diplomacy. Currently, he serves as the chair of the “Expert Panel on Ministry of Defense Capacity Building” at the Ministry of Defense and an expert panel member of the “Development Assistance Accountability Committee” at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan. He earned his MSc in Development Studies from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).