In today’s increasingly polarised world fraught with conflict, war, and natural crises, the role of international cooperation is more important than ever in fostering peace. The UNESCO constitution, for example, states that “peace must [...] be founded, if it is not to fail, upon the intellectual and moral solidarity of mankind”, underlining the importance of intellectual and academic, artistic and cultural cooperation. A cooperation based on the “solidarity of mankind” presupposes that all perspectives are heard and respected. This is not an easy endeavour, as different people have different interpretations of words and concepts such as “peace”, “climate change vs climate crisis”, or “cultural heritage”, which makes context- and culturally-relevant perspectives of marginalised people even more important. How do international organisations engage and harness stakeholders outside of governments for positive change? How are international institutions, most notably the UN and its organs, a force for the good in the world? How are they failing? The panel ambitiously seeks to highlight the paradoxical nature of international institutions: envisioned as beacons of global cooperation and peace, yet frequently falling short of their lofty aspirations to truly represent and act for the people they serve. The panel discussion will include space for feedback from our audience, in its majority, educators and practitioners ‘on the ground’ to discuss how they engage in peace education, climate change, and cultural heritage preservation, in order to capture different stakeholder actions.

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Ljiljana Marković
European Center for Peace and Development (ECPD), Serbia

Ljiljana Marković is a Professor of Japanese Studies in the European Centre for Peace and Development (ECPD) of the United Nations University for Peace, and Special Advisor to the Executive Director and ECPD Academic Director. She is also a Visiting Professor at Toho University and Osaka University, Japan, and Gabriele d'Annunzio University, Italy.

Professor Marković is the author of a large number of publications in the fields of Japanese Studies and Economics. She completed her bachelor’s and master's degrees at Cambridge University, United Kingdom, before pursuing her doctorate at Chuo University, Japan. For many years, she was a Professor at the Faculty of Philology at the University of Belgrade, Serbia, with terms as Dean (2016-2020) and Vice Dean of Financial Affairs (2008-2016). She has served as the Chairperson of the International Silk Road Academic Studies Symposium since 2017.

Professor Marković received the Gaimu Daijin Sho Award from the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan in 2010. In the following year, she received the Dositej Obradovic Award for Pedagogical Achievement. Professor Marković recent accolades include the Medal of Merit by the President of Serbia in 2020, the Isidora Sekulic Medal for Academic Achievement in 2021, and the Order of the Rising Sun (Gold Rays with Rosette) in 2022, an Imperial Decoration awarded by the Government of Japan for her ‘outstanding contribution to establishing and improving friendly relations with Japan’.

Jun Arima
IAFOR & University of Tokyo, Japan

Professor Jun Arima is the President of IAFOR, and the senior academic officer of the organisation. In this role, Professor Arima is the Honorary Chair of the International Academic Advisory Board, as well as both the Academic Governing Board and its Executive Committee. He also sits on the IAFOR Board of Directors.

Jun Arima was formerly Director General of the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), UK from 2011 to 2015 and Special Advisor on Global Environmental Affairs for the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), Japan, from 2011 to 2015. He has previously held various international energy/environment-related positions, including: Head of Division, Country Studies, International Energy Agency (IEA); Director, International Affairs Division, Agency of Natural Resources and Energy, METI; and Deputy Director General for Environmental Affairs at METI’s Industrial Science and Technology Policy and Environment Bureau. In the COP (UN Convention on Climate Change) 14, 15 and 16, he was Japanese Chief Negotiator for AWG-KP.

Since 2015 Jun Arima has been a Professor at the University of Tokyo, Japan, where he teaches Energy Security, International Energy Governance, and Environmental Policies in the Graduate School of Public Policy. (GraSPP). He is also currently a Consulting Fellow at the Japanese Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry (RIETI). He is also Executive Senior Fellow at the 21st Century Public Policy Institute, Principal Researcher at the International Environmental and Economic Institute (IEEI), Distinguished Senior Policy Fellow, at the Asia Pacific Institute of Research (APIR), Senior Policy Fellow on Energy and Environment, Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA), and was the Lead Author, the 6th Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change (IPCC).

Takehiro Kano
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), France

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Takehiro Kano is the Permanent Delegate of Japan to UNESCO, a position he has held since 2023. He possesses extensive experience in diplomacy and international relations, cultivated through various high-ranking roles within Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) and other government institutions.

Ambassador Kano graduated from the University of Tokyo, Japan, with a Bachelor of Law in 1989 and later earned a Master of Economics from Selwyn College, Cambridge University, United Kingdom. Since joining MOFA in 1989, he has held influential positions such as Director of the Climate Change Division, International Cooperation Bureau, and Director General of the Southeast and Southwest Asian Affairs Department.

His diplomatic career included key postings as Minister at Japan’s Permanent Mission to the International Organizations in Vienna, Austria, and as Deputy Chief of Mission at the Embassy of Japan in the Philippines. Additionally, Ambassador Kano served as a visiting professor at the University of Tokyo from 2012 to 2014.

A prolific author, Ambassador Kano has published works on international peace cooperation, climate change negotiations, and nuclear diplomacy, including Environmental Diplomacy: Climate Change Negotiations and Global Governance (Shinzansha Publisher Co., Ltd., 2013), Nuclear Diplomacy: A Perspective from Vienna, the City of IAEA (Shinzansha Publisher Co., Ltd., 2017), and Japan’s international peace cooperation: time to move on (‘Diplomacy,’ Vol 81, Sep-Oct 2023). His breadth of expertise, particularly in global governance and security policy, positions him as a leading figure in Japan’s international diplomatic efforts and the nation’s contributions to UNESCO's global initiatives.

Moderated by: Anne Boddington
Middlesex University, United Kingdom

Professor Anne Boddington is Executive Vice-President and Provost of IAFOR, and oversees the academic programs, research and policies of the forum.

Anne Boddington is Professor Emerita of Design Innovation and has held executive and senior leadership roles in Higher Education including as Dean of Arts & Humanities at the University of Brighton, Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research, Business & Innovation at Kingston and Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research and Knowledge Exchange at Middlesex University.

In 2022 she concluded chairing the Sub Panel (32) for Art & Design: History, Practice & Theory as part of the Research Excellence Framework (REF2021) and has extensive experience in the governance and conduct of peer review, research evaluation and assessment in REF2014 (Sub Panel Deputy Chair and Equality Diversity Advisory Panel [EDAP]) and RAE2008. A former member of AHRC’s Advisory Board, she is the current Chair of the Advisory Board for the UKRI’s National Interdisciplinary Circular Economy Research (NICER) programme (£30M), Deputy Chair and a Trustee of the Design Council, the government’s strategic advisor for design, and a member of both the InnoHK Scientific Committee (Hong Kong) and the Hong Kong Council for Accreditation of Academic and Vocational Qualifications (HKCAAVQ).

Since the 1990’s Anne has worked across the UK and internationally with a wide range of quality assurance, professional, statutory, and regulatory bodies in the UK, Europe, the Middle East, Hong Kong, and India.

As an independent consultant she now works as a strategic advisor and mentor and is committed to promoting equity, diversity, and inclusion in practice, developing effective governance, supporting career development, reducing bureaucracy, and improving organisational design, integrity, and productivity in the changing workplace.

About the Presenter(s)
Ljiljana Marković, European Center for Peace and Development (ECPD), Serbia
Jun Arima, IAFOR & University of Tokyo, Japan
Takehiro Kano, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), France
Moderated by: Anne Boddington, Middlesex University, United Kingdom

See this presentation on the full schedule – Friday Schedule

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