Sophia Magazine vol.8 / WINTER 2018

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Kato entered Sophia University as an undergraduate in April 1991, enrolling in the Faculty of Comparative Culture (now the Faculty of Liberal Arts) at the Ichigaya campus. Drawn to social studies, she majored in politics. This was followed by a Master’s Program in International Relations at Yotsuya. Completing her studies in March 1998, Kato started her career at the Permanent Mission of Japan to the UN in New York, supporting experienced diplomats while Japan served as a non-permanent Security Council member. From there on, an active life in international public service began, with Kato moving her base from New York to The Hague, Vienna, Kabul, Cairo, and Bangkok over the past two decades. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), which Kato joined in 2003, is a department of the UN Secre-tariat that supports UN Member States’ efforts to prevent and counter threats of transnational organized crime, corruption, and terrorism, or as she puts it: “the negative side of global-ization.” Elaborating on the challenges posed by globaliza-tion, Kato explains: “There are many remarkable benefits of the globalized and better-connected world that we live in, but the same technologies and connectivity that bring positive consequences for humanity also dramatically increase illegal activities within and across borders. While criminal networks are fast to adapt to new technological capabilities, many gov-ernments and legal frameworks have not been designed that way. So, tackling crime in the 21st century requires strong in-ternational cooperation between governments and other ac-tors, located in different national jurisdictions.”Kato started out as a desk officer for UN-assisted post-conflict peacebuilding in Afghanistan. “Constructing roads, establishing good educational systems, bringing in medical services: all of these are important,” she reflects of this period, “but all the gains achieved can be reversed if you don’t deal with the root causes that fuel conflict, which, in Afghanistan’s case, has a lot to do with crime, exploitation, and impunity around the opium poppy and the illegal economy. This is also true of many other conflicts around the world.”Within the UNODC, Kato worked in different roles, rang-ing from field-based technical assistance to supporting inter-governmental norm-setting processes. After 12 years, she was ready to branch out to other priority areas of the UN’s work. Fortunately, a great new opportunity opened up for her with another UN agency.In 2015, Kato made a leap out of her familiar “peace and security/rule of law” world and became Country Director Education and Early Careerfor the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UNWOMEN) in Egypt. As the nation faced great social and political challenges in the post-Arab Spring context, women were the first to experience hardship. But Kato assessed that women are also the drivers of change and holders of solutions in creating a peaceful and prosperous society. She highlighted this point to audiences that are used to seeing women mainly as victims, and aligned assistance closely with local priorities. Recognized for her achievements in Egypt, Kato was next posted to Bangkok as UNWOMEN’s Asia Pacific Regional Director covering 42 countries including Japan (UN Wom-en’s largest regional portfolio). This was a great new oppor-tunity to contribute to her native region on the crucial topic of gender equality, in which no country – regardless of where they may stand in economic development – can claim full ac-complishment. In addition to harnessing ties with the natu-ral allies of the women’s movement in fighting for equality, Kato also chose to engage with strategic partners in parts of governments and businesses that did not see themselves as supporters of women’s rights. Energetically advocating for the social transformation needed to solve many of the acute challenges affecting all, Kato created narratives around the indispensable power of inclusion and empowerment, and in-creased the scope and potential for action. In addition to many substantial achievements, this assign-ment gave Kato the chance to grow as a global manager, lead-ing a large team of staff (730 individuals across 22 countries of the region) in very diverse national contexts and across mul-tiple time zones. “Throughout my service with UNWOMEN, I was blessed with a wonderful team of colleagues and counter-parts who inducted me into the world of sisterhood and activ-ism, which I had not been exposed to before. I also developed my advocacy and public relations muscles on steroids, so to speak. To shape the future of the UN and the solutions it can bring, I think these experiences with direct links to the public conscience, and having enthusiasm for action, are key.”Last year, Kato arrived at another crossroads in her career. Entering New Terrain and ExpandingLeadership Skills at UNWOMENGrasping the Impact of Globalizationand Conflict at the UNODC1. Early 1990s, with Prof. Saddollah Ghaussy who sparked Kato’s interest in inter-national politics 2. Interview on Egyptian TV primetime news 3. With H.E. Sorrel Aroca, Governor of Putumayo in Colombia, the rst indigenous woman to hold the post 4. Hearing from people living with HIV, October 2018 in Mombasa, Kenya123421Sophia People