Lecture by Shigeki Komatsubara, President of Malawi, United Nations Development Programme (November 20, 2021)

≪Yokohama City International Human Resource Development Project≫

―Lectures for university students in Yokohama by Japanese Staff of the United Nations

Lecture by Shigeki Komatsubara, President of Malawi, United Nations Development Programme (November 20, 2021)

●Date and time:
November Saturday, November 20, 2021 21:00 to 23:00
Malawi Time Nov. 20, 2021 (Sat.) 14:00-16:00

●Speaker:
Mr. Shigeki Komatsubara, Representative Director of Malawi

●Implementation method: Online

●Participant: Thirteen students from Yokohama City University's Faculty of International Studies and College of Liberal Arts

●Contents of lecture:
①Role and Approach of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
②U.N. Development Program Project in Malawi, Africa
③The importance of the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) and the development of Africa as seen through TICAD.
④Working in the United Nations

　In the lecture, Mr. Komatsubara talked about various matters, including the activities of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the fact that the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) has greatly contributed to the continued support of the international community, the role of business in supporting Africa, and the fact that the role of the United Nations is being questioned again in light of recent circumstances such as the COVID-19 pandemic and digital transformation.
　He also talked about career paths to work for the United Nations, what is required to work for the United Nations (communication skills and expertise: Competencies), and the rigor and value of working as a UN staff member.
　During the Q&A session, students asked questions about personal information issues related to Malawi's National ID project, the achievement status of SDGs, and the status of collaboration between UNDP and NGOs.
　Later, students commented, "The National ID project in Malawi was interesting, and I thought Japan would become a digital backward country in no time," "It was impressive that the power needed for UN staff was human power, communication skills, and expertise," and "I often learned from a professional perspective on TICAD, and I was interested in the next TICAD volunteering."