31 May 2021, Hiroshima, Japan - UNITAR Division for Prosperity announces with deep sorrow the passing of the Honourable Kenzo Oshima. A Hiroshima native, Mr. Oshima joined our advisory board in 2021 and was chair of the UNITAR Association since its establishment in October 2019, through which he led important outreach activities for UNITAR. He was a regular panelist for Ideas that Matter, a public event series organized by UNITAR Hiroshima Office, and was featured in many talks including: “70 years after WWII: Thinking about the UN and Hiroshima” and “South Sudan: Achievements and Challenges.”

Mr. Oshima was a retired Japanese diplomat. Through his illustrious career, he has served as Permanent Representative of Japan to the United Nations, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs (head of OCHA), Senior Vice-President of JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency), Ambassador to Australia, and Director-General for Economic Cooperation in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He was also managing director of the Africa Society of Japan.

Ambassador Oshima was an extraordinary diplomat and an exceptional human being. I came to know him when he was the Japanese Permanent Representative in New York and the USG for OCHA. He was calm, thoughtful, and decisive. He was a great friend of UNITAR and strongly supported our work. We shall miss you Ambassador,

says Mr. Nikhil Seth, UN Assistant Secretary-General and UNITAR Executive Director.

Ms. Mihoko Kumamoto, Director of UNITAR Division for Prosperity, says:

Mr. Kenzo Oshima will be greatly missed, but his warmth, kindness, and gentle spirit will be remembered forever. On behalf of the Division for Prosperity and Hiroshima Office, I would like to extend our gratitude for his continuous support for UNITAR.

We are grateful for his support and wisdom to make us better serve the international community.