On 21 February 2020, UNITAR and the UNITAR Association exchanged a Memorandum of Agreement for providing a cooperative framework. The UNITAR Association, the National Committee for UNITAR in Japan, was founded in Hiroshima in October 2019 to enhance UNITAR’s presence in Japan. Ambassador Kenzo Oshima is the inaugural UNITAR Association Chairperson.

The UNITAR Association will collect small donations from the public and companies, and work to raise awareness and support UNITAR’s activities, as it works to support the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The UNITAR Association will organize activities with the local community under three pillars: “Sports and Peace”, “SDGs and Education”, and “Women’s Empowerment”.

2020 is a momentous year for the United Nations, Hiroshima and Japan. It is the 75th anniversary of the dropping of the Atomic Bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the 75th anniversary of the founding of the UN, and the 2020 Olympics are being held in Tokyo from July. The UNITAR Association will use every opportunity of this special year 2020, taking advantage of its presence in Hiroshima, Japan.