Sophia Magazine vol.1 / SUMMER 2015

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The partnership and collaboration between Sophia Univer-sity and the WFP has yielded excellent results already. I also believe the relationship has the potential to grow further and we are very excited. One of the most important aspects of our partnership is that we share very similar human principles and values. WFP’s mission is to ght against hunger worldwide, particularly in countries where the food situation is very problematic and the support of the international community is required. We provide food assistance to communities and people who are hungry as a result of poverty, natural disasters and conict and we also build capacity for governments and communities to better tackle and eliminate hunger on their own. Sophia University’s motto, “ Men and Women for Others, with Oth-ers”, is immediately recognized by WFP as it emphasizes humanitarian values. Sophia University is an international, and highly regarded institution. We also appreciate the fact that Sophia University was where Madame Sadako Ogata, the former United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, once taught. We have seen positive and encouraging results during the past three years of the partnership particularly in terms of the Zero Hunger Challenge which is a global call-to-action to build support to eradicate hunger. The Zero Hunger Chal-lenge, launched by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in 2012, calls upon every individual to play their part based on a shared conviction that hunger can be eliminated within our life time. Our mission, especially in the WFP Japan Rela-tions Ofce, is to help raise awareness about hunger which helps to create the political will needed to tackle it. I am proud that as a result of our partnership, students of Sophia University have established several menu items in the school cafeteria that raise awareness about hunger but also generate funds to provide healthy and nutritious meals for school meal programs in developing countries. Because Japan is rela-tively well off, there are some challenges in raising aware-ness regarding hunger and malnutrition generally. However, with the high intellectual caliber of Sophia University stu-dents that I have seen, I am condent that they will further contribute positively to this endeavor. I occasionally come to Sophia University to lecture about our work and have often met students who display an excellent understanding of the role of international support and global cooperation. For example, when I recently spoke about the devastating situation in Nepal after the earthquake that devas-tated parts of the country in April, one student came up to me afterward and described a village in rural Nepal where she had worked as a volunteer. She was concerned about the plight of people in the village and wanted to help them in any way she could. I was able to connect her with my WFP colleague in Nepal who immediately visited the village and reported rst-hand about the situation. I was deeply impressed with this stu-dent’s strong feelings of empathy and her maturity. I believe there are many students who are similarly moti-vated in Sophia University. I will continue to do my best to give students the opportunity to learn about the work we do, why it is important, in order for them to learn that by working hand-in-hand, we can make this world a better place. Through the Sophia University/WFP partnership we have made a number of achievements. First, we have established an internship program in the WFP Japan Relations Ofce for Sophia University students. Second, we have arranged lectures by WFP staff members and have held collaborative symposia and seminars at Sophia. We are currently working with Sophia to nalize an expanded internship programme with WFP Rome Headquarters that will offer the possibility of longer-term, substantive internships in WFP eld ofces as well as in Rome. In addition to offering internship programs, we also try to attract Sophia University students to consider possible careers with WFP. The reason that we want them to pursue this type of career is that we need to have global citizens who have an in-depth awareness of global affairs and a strong personal commitment to making the world a better place. I believe that Sophia University’s focus on international out-reach, coupled with its excellent academic reputation and values, offers students great potential to serve as future staff members of our organization. There are many opportunities for WFP to increase its en-gagement with the people of Japan, Japanese educational institutions, and students in elds such as agriculture, en-vironmental protection, economics, nutrition and many other research and technological elds which can help us to nd appropriate solutions that help us to ultimately eliminate hunger. Thanks to Sophia University’s strong emphasis on educa-tional programs that awaken and nurture interest in global affairs, including development studies, it is my hope that Sophia graduates will increasingly contribute to the interna-tional community’s efforts to make a positive difference in an increasingly complex and globalizing world.The World Needs Global CitizensWe Share CommonHumanitarian ValuesWFP / STEPHEN ANDERSONCooperation27