B2 Saya Miyoshi
On 26th July, A lecture was held by Mr. Michihiro TANABE from the International Labour Organization (ILO). The subject of the lecture was "Business and Human Rights -The Value of a Prosperous Society," and it was open to students who took Professor Fujii's international law class, Fujii seminar, and others. Mr. Tanabe currently works for ILO, and he used to work in various organizations, such as the certified NPO organization ADRA Japan, the Secretariat of the International Peace Cooperation Headquarters, the Cabinet Office, the Government of Japan, and the United Nations Development Programme.
Now, I will explain the content of the lecture. First, Mr. Tanabe gave a lecture about Business and Human Rights. In the lecture, he described the fundamental knowledge of ILO, the relationship between business and human rights, and the messages given to the participants. He emphasized that when we think about human rights issues, we must remember that people constantly suffer behind them. I am also learning about human rights issues through the Fujii seminar, so I was impressed by Mr. Tanabe's words.
Personally, I have long been interested in human rights issues in terms of business. Specifically, people nowadays often utilize the Internet to purchase clothes from fast fashion brands overseas. Most people do not know that it causes serious human rights issues for people who are involved in labor. I have wondered about the situation in which most Japanese do not care about human rights issues overseas, and only care about their interests. As Mr. Tanabe mentioned in this lecture, only one person cannot solve business and human rights issues, so it is important to be inclusive of people from different backgrounds. This includes all of us, the audience, who have a crucial role to play in addressing these issues. Further, he advised participants about their careers. In career development, it is essential to take action as soon as possible since it is made to your own advantage. How you feel and how fast you learn depends on your goals and who you want to be, so finding goals and role models is important too. These lead to enriching your life in the future.
Next, Mr. Kakeru KIKUCHI, a second-year master's student belonging to the Fujii seminar, presented about "International NGO Initiatives in Japan". He worked with Save the Children Japan as an internship program for about two and a half years. In his presentation, he described Save the Children Japan and his experiences in the Emergency and recovery support team for children and caregivers in domestic disasters and the Social awareness team where he used to work. In the Social awareness team, he was involved in policy recommendations to members of parliament. He negotiated directly with lawmakers, and his opinions were introduced into policy. Since the Japanese government does not provide much money for education in emergency humanitarian aid, his team proposed the ECW, a fund specializing in education during crises, and finally got approximately 400 million yen contributed after four years of work. This addresses underlying and structural factors of the problem that cannot be solved by field activities alone. From these experiences in Save the Children Japan, he could feel his efforts are contributing toward solving the problem and learn how Japanese NGOs are making efforts in the field of international cooperation.
After that, Ms. Haruka YOKOI, a third-year undergraduate student, and Ms. Ouka YOSHIDA, a second-year undergraduate student, gave comments and asked questions about the lectures to Mr. Tanabe and Mr. Kikuchi. The questions concerned companies that engage in excessive human rights violations and the difficulties of establishing human rights due diligence and whistle-blower systems. Mr. Tanabe and Mr. Kikuchi responded politely to their questions in a limited time.
The title of Mr. Tanabe's lecture was "Business and Human Rights -The Value of a Prosperous Society." He mentioned that many companies' mission is to maximize profits without considering human rights issues. However, human resources are the most valuable management resource, so we should not forget to respect "human rights" first. Eventually, it increases the value of the company.
Through this lecture, I learned a lot about human rights issues regarding business, and I appreciate this opportunity to deepen my understanding of this topic. I would like to contribute to solving radical problems related to human rights in the future. This lecture has not only deepened my understanding but also inspired me to take action. It was an important opportunity for me to think about my own career development and I would like to work under such circumstances so that I can approach the root of the problem in the future.
Once again, I would like to thank Mr. Tanabe, Mr. Kikuchi, Professor Fujii, and all others involved in this lecture. Your insights and experiences have been invaluable in shaping our understanding of human rights issues in business. I would also like to acknowledge the thoughtful questions and comments from the audience, which enriched our discussion. I look forward to seeing Mr. Tanabe again in the future, after I have acquired further expertise and grown more. Thank you all for this enriching experience!
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