Sophia University and the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation Co-Host Youth Forum on International Exchange and Cooperation
On October 6, Sophia University and the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation co-hosted the youth forum “Youth, Japan, and the World: Advancing International Exchange and Cooperation” at Sophia’s Yotsuya Campus. Students and education professionals gathered to consider the role young people can play in international exchange and cooperation.
The forum opened with a welcome message from Takuya Otsuka, Director of JICA’s Volunteer Coordination Department, read on his behalf by Ryutaro Kobayashi. The message emphasized the importance of building trust through person-to-person exchange in the pursuit of international cooperation and peace. It also recalled that the Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JOCV) received the Ramon Magsaysay Award in 2016, highlighting the value of working alongside local communities to address shared challenges.
Yoshiaki Ishizawa, a 2017 Ramon Magsaysay Award recipient, former president of Sophia University and Director of the university’s Asian Human Resources Development Center, delivered opening remarks. Reflecting on his decades of work to protect Cambodia’s cultural heritage, he spoke about efforts to preserve the Angkor heritage sites after the civil war in collaboration with local communities. He also described human resource development initiatives that have continued since 1994, underscoring the importance of nurturing specialists who can help safeguard cultural heritage.
The panel discussion explored three themes: the lasting impact of international exchange on social contribution; how people, education, and exchange can build bridges with the world; and how young people can help shape the future of Japan and the world. The panelists were Ayako Maruyama of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) Investment and Technology Promotion Office in Tokyo; Naoki Umemiya, a professor at Sophia University’s Center for Global Education and Discovery; Sophia University President Miki Sugimura; and Riho Nishida, a graduate student at Sophia. Drawing on their professional and personal experiences, they shared a range of perspectives.
Maruyama, a former Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteer, reflected on her own field experience and stressed that international cooperation should begin with listening to the people concerned, rather than imposing assistance from the outside. She also highlighted the importance of building trust through ongoing dialogue with local communities. Nishida spoke about how her studies at Sophia, an exchange program abroad, and internships with international organizations had brought global issues closer to home. Learning and interacting with people from diverse backgrounds, she said, had also deepened her interest in working across countries and cultures.
The panelists further discussed the role of universities as places where people from diverse backgrounds can meet, engage in dialogue, and learn from one another, as well as the broader significance of international education and exchange.
A lively question-and-answer session followed, with discussion ranging from the role of public education to challenges associated with studying abroad. Sophia students also posed questions, and the panelists responded by drawing on their respective experiences.
In her closing remarks, Susan B. Afan, President of the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation, emphasized that international cooperation cannot be achieved through a single conversation or the efforts of one person alone. Rather, it requires sustained commitment and the gradual building of trust between people. She encouraged participants to pay attention to issues in their own communities and take action to help address social challenges.
The forum gave participants an opportunity to deepen their understanding of international exchange and cooperation and to reflect on how young people can contribute to solving social challenges.
