On November 7, 2023, the Peacebuilding Program of the Sasakawa Peace Foundation (SPF) co-hosted an event at the Embassy of Canada entitled “
Canada and Japan as Partners to Advance Women, Peace and Security in the Indo-Pacific Region,” welcoming a distinguished panel of speakers, including Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Melanie Joly. The event featured discussions about how Japan and Canada can work together to better support the inclusion of women in the field of peace and security, successful examples of integrating gender considerations into policy as demonstrated by Canada, as well as future challenges facing both countries in the face of conflicts around the world.
To open the main session of the event, SPF President Atsushi Sunami gave remarks describing how SPF has developed its approach to supporting the
Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda based on extensive work in the field focusing on peacebuilding, particularly in the Deep South of Thailand.
“The WPS agenda is one of the key initiatives we’re implementing because we realize its importance based on our experience in the field. When it comes to promotion of the WPS agenda, we also believe that
men’s engagement is critical,” he explained. He also expressed his commitment to the promotion of WPS in Japan, including through support of the WPS Parliamentary Caucus established last year as well as coordination with relevant agencies, including the Embassy of Canada.