UNAFEI
153rd International Senior Seminar
Closing Ceremony 7th February 2013
Farewell speech by SSP Olivia L.A Onyango- Israel
From Kenya

Honorable members of the Diplomatic Corps,
Mr. Tatsuya Sakuma; Director of UNAFEI,
Mr. Hisanao Noda; Deputy Director General TIC, JICA,
Faculty and staff of UNAFEI,
JICA staff members,
Distinguished guests,
Fellow seminar participants,
Ladies and gentlemen,

To be asked to make a farewell speech following such a wonderful andexciting seminar is not only exceptionally humbling but highly challenging. The
first challenge is deciding whom to thank profusely, yet every single individual,
every single department and all the organizations involved in this seminar
performed far beyond our wildest expectations.

1Secondly, speaking on behalf of over twenty-two (22) participants drawn
from different countries, with diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds, calls forthe use of the best adjectives to express the shared feelings.
The above notwithstanding, allow me, on behalf of my fellow seminar
participants, to express our deepest and most profound gratitude to the governmentof Japan, JICA, UNAFEI, ACPF and all the people and organizations who havemade our experience in this 153rd International Senior seminar a wonderful andquite enriching one.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Our seminar involved over twenty-two (22) participants from different
countries and professional backgrounds ranging from the justice departments, thepolice, human rights organizations, correctional institutions to probation andaftercare services. The seminar theme of the ”Treatment of Female Offenders”
across the criminal justice system was explored in-depth through lectures,individual presentations, visiting experts, ad hoc lectures, group activities, plenary
sessions, observations and visits.
By the end of the Seminar we were equipped with better lenses, having
deciphered the topic within the leitmotifs of the Bangkok Rules and the acceptable
best practices round the globe.
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In light of the foregoing, ladies and gentlemen, we discussed the corpus ofbest international practices and developed joint strategies for future handling of thesame in our respective countries. Further, through the seminar we have now
established a strong international network determined to implement and share thelessons learned in our respective countries.
In a nutshell, the seminar, in our very sincere opinion, achieved its core
objectives, that is sharing experiences, exploring challenges, adopting the bestpractices approach and setting up a strong network to further the very ideals andprinciples of these lessons learned around the world.
These objectives, ladies and gentlemen, would not have been possible were
it not for the meticulous work done by the excellent team of professionals led by
the humble Director, Mr. Tatsuya Sakuma. We keenly observed your credible
coordination, your spirited and serene leadership style; you were always presentwith us, not only during the seminar but sometimes at Lounge B. Your leadershipstyle is worth emulating!! Congratulations, Director.
Of special mention, ladies and gentlemen, our hats go off to the following:
HRH Princess Bajrakitiyabha of Thailand for her very articulate andinformative keynote address on the Bangkok Rules. Later we were treated to a
sumptuous dinner supported by the government of Thailand which left many of the3participants, like Oliver Twist, yearning for more — this time because it was sogood;
Dr. Patricia Van Voorhis from the University of Cincinnati, an expert on thetreatment of female offenders in the USA;Ms. Piera Barzano from the UNODC’s Vienna office offering the valuable
information on implementation of the Bangkok Rules;
Dr. Nathee Chitsawang, the Deputy Director of the Thailand Institute ofJustice, offering Thai perspectives on the treatment of female offenders;
Programming officer, Professor Akiko Tashiro,Deputy Programming

offcer, Professor Koji Yoshimura and your very able and patient Assistant Shinichi
Yamamoto, your efforts and organizational skills which ensured the success of thisseminar have not gone unnoticed.
Our indefatigable JICA Coordinator, Miki Yamamoto-san, you have thepatience of a saint; your high sense of humor came in just at the right time to makethe difference. All the professors, support staff, individuals and organizations whocontributed towards the success of the 153rd UNAFEI International Senior seminar
KUDOS to you all!!

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Our sincere, special gratitude goes to the Japanese participants, without
whom our lives would have been rather difficult. However, everyday has been
extremely interesting through spontaneous interaction, weekend tours and going an
extra mile to give us explanations on all we cared to enquire about, assisting us
while shopping, ordering meals, (ooh!) taking numerous memorable scenic photosof the beautiful land of Japan, you were all smiles with excellent attitudes towards
us. And----Just when we were about to start feeling home sick, you came up withbrilliant idea of the Table Tennis Tournament — even the Director participated!
Although medals were won, most important was the great time we had together.
Always remember you have to widen your horizon of friends across the globe, allof you were wonderful! For us it was
Watashitachi-wa
Minasama ni Aete Hontohni Yokatta-desu!!
Ladies and gentlemen,This address would be incomplete without reserving special mention and theexpression of our very sincere gratitude to the JICA officials and staff for their
hospitality, courteous care, orientation of the participants and corresponding
lectures about the Japanese way of life. Everything moves with mechanical5

precision, and this enabled us to acclimatize quickly and to go through the seminarwith ease.
On arrival at UNAFEI the whole team led by none other than the Director
himself braved the freezing winter and made a beeline to receive us the Japaneseway. If we thought this was just a one-off event, then we were in for a very rude
shock, discovering in all our trips that this was the norm and not the exception.
Truly, we have learned from the Japanese the value of not shedding the gowns ofancestry for rags of modernity and the society.
Ladies and gentlemen,
The many study trips, the institutional visits, the sports tournaments, thedancing parties, the Hiroshima experience and the visits to the Temples, the snow
experience — all served to underscore one historical quote: “Veni vidi vici”. But
in our case we came, we saw and we became transformed and inspired to serve theworld!
GOD BLESS YOU ALL
ARIGATO GOZAIMASU!!
Olivia L.A.Onyango-Israel6