Japanese Prime Minister and UN Women Executive Director inaugurate UN Women Liaison Office in Bunkyo City

UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka met with members of the UN Women Japan National Committee at the launch of the new liaison office in Bunkyo City. Photo: UN Women/Kristin Hetle

Reiterating their shared commitment to create “a society where women shine”, on 30 August, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe and UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka officially inaugurated the new UN Women Liaison Office in Tokyo, located in Bunkyo City.

UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe sit in the newly inaugurated UN Women liaison office in Bunkyo City on 30 August 2015. Photo: UN Women/Kristin Hetle

The ceremony was attended by the Minister in Charge of Women’s Empowerment, Haruko Arimura; the State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Yasuhide Nakayama; the Mayor of Bunkyo City, Hironobu Narisawa; as well as distinguished local and national government representatives, civil society, the private sector, and the Japanese National Committee for UN Women.

Holding inaugural ribbons at a ceremony for the opening of the new office in Bunkyo City, were (left to right): UN Women Liaison Office Director Kayoko Fukushima, Mayor of Bunkyo City Hironobu Narisawa, UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Minister in Charge of Women’s Empowerment Haruko Arimura, and State Minister for Foreign Affairs Yasuhide Nakayama. Photo: UN Women/Kristin Hetlet

The Liaison Office in Bunkyo City is the only one of its kind in the region.

With Headquarters in New York, liaison offices in Belgium, Denmark and now Japan, and 89 country offices around the world, UN Women works to remove barriers to equal opportunities for women and girls and to ensure that laws and commitments on gender equality and women’s empowerment are fully implemented.

The opening of the new liaison office in Bunkyo City, Japan, attracted wide media attention. Photo: UN Women/Kristin Hetle

Under the leadership of Ms. Kayoko Fukushima as Director, the main responsibilities of the UN Women Liaison Office in Bunkyo City in Tokyo will include strategic partnership building, advocacy to raise awareness about issues that impact gender equality and donor relations.

UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka poses for a photograph with the new UN Women Liaison Office Director Kayoko Fukushima at the launch of the new UN Women liaison office in Bunkyo City on 30 August 2015. Photo: UN Women/Kristin Hetle

UN Women’s presence in Japan will include work with a wide spectrum of partners, including all levels of government, civil society, academia and the business community, and will contribute to the long-standing partnership with Japan.UN Women will work with the UN Women Japan National Committee, a long-standing partner, in addition to new and wider constituencies including youth, men and boys and parliamentarians, to advance common priority areas such as women’s participation in economic and political decision-making and leadership roles, and advocate to end discrimination and violence against women and girls in all its forms.