12341. Central African Republic 2. Mauritania 3.Sierra Leone 4. Gambia17Joining WFP Because “I was Made For It”After graduating from the University of Tokyo and working for a Japanese trading company for a short period, Tsumura pursued further studies at Sophia University’s Graduate School. He joined the WFP in 1998.Yasuhiro Tsumura has dedicated himself to humanitarian ac-tivities through WFP for 26 years. We asked him about WFP’s goals and what he expects to be able to achieve in Japan.“When I was an undergraduate, and when I was working at a trading company, I was interested in world history and global is-sues. The Cold War ended when I was still a university student, and I thought the world would be more peaceful at last. However, ethnic conflicts such as in Yugoslavia and Rwanda, broke out in many places in the world. Learning about the atrocities and hu-manitarian crises caused by these conflicts, and reading reports in mass media by high-ranking Japanese UN officials such as Sadako Ogata and Yasushi Akashi, who were playing key roles in peace-keeping and humanitarian operations in these crises, I was sim-ply impressed and wanted to work like them working in an inter-national milieu for humanitarian causes and world peace. I was young and free at the time and decided to quit my job, thinking, ‘You only live once!’ My choice could have been somewhat driven by youthful recklessness.”Tsumura chose Sophia University’s Graduate School for its strong focus on international relations and its track record of alumni working at the UN. After a year of preparation, he entered the Graduate School of Foreign Studies (then Graduate School of * The Ministry of Foreign Affairs runs this program for young people who desire to work for international organizations in the future. Through the programme, they gain 2 years of experience working for an international organization.Global Studies).“My time in graduate school was intellectually fulfilling. Particularly stimulating were my interactions and exchanges with a diverse group of international and Japanese students specializ-ing in international relations and area studies. Although it was only a year, my corporate work experience also allowed me to have greater insights into my learning.” While in graduate school, Tsumura started working for a UNESCO-related nonprofit organization in Tokyo, applied for the JPO (Junior Professional Officer) programme,* and joined the WFP. This, however, was not his initial goal.“The turning point came when someone from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, ‘You are made for the WFP.’ It turned out to be a perfect fit for me. WFP’s work spans a wide range of activities, including important humanitarian relief and develop-ment assistance planning, as well as coordination with govern-ments, UN agencies, and NGOs. During my first two years at WFP headquarters in Rome, I handled coordination and collabo-rations for WFP’s high-level participation in discussions at vari-ous UN forums such as the UN General Assembly, and the UN Economic and Social Council. This proved beneficial in my later work. Understanding the decision-making process and situation at headquarters informed my ability to more effectively seek and Working to Eradicate World Hunger
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