15 November,2013,Hiroshima, Japan - The UNITAR Hiroshima Office was proud to host Professor U. Joy Ogwu, Permanent Representative of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to the United Nations, on Thursday 14 November. Professor Ogwu met with the 2013 UNITAR Youth Ambassadors, Ms. Sae Murai, Hiroshima Jogakuin High School, and Mr. Yuuki Yanagawa, Hiroshima Gakuin High School, and discussed the role of today’s youth, gender, diplomacy, and peace.
The UNITAR Youth Ambassador Programme provides an opportunity to learn about the United Nations system as well as careers in diplomacy and international affairs through participation in UNITAR events. The programme includes study trips to embassies and United Nations organizations in Tokyo to experience firsthand the world of diplomacy. Youth Ambassadors deliver Hiroshima’s message of peace on behalf of their peers in Hiroshima, in Japan, and around the world.
Professor Ogwu is the first female Permanent Representative of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to the United Nations. She is the immediate past Minister of Foreign Affairs of Nigeria (2006-2007). A professor of political science and international relations, she served as the first female Director-General of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA). From 2002, she served as a Member of the Secretary-General’s Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters, culminating in her appointment as the first African female Chairperson of the Advisory Board in 2006. As a member of the Presidential Advisory Council of Nigeria on International Relations from 2000-2006, and now as Permanent Representative to the United Nations, she continues to contribute to the advancement of Nigeria’s foreign policy and has written extensively on foreign policy issues. In 2004, Professor Ogwu was honoured with an award of OFR- Officer of the Federal Republic for exemplary contribution to Nigeria. She also currently serves as the First President of the First Executive Board of UN Women. In addition, Professor Ogwu is a Trustee of UNITAR, having joined the Board of Trustees in 2010.
