80
September
2022

One World, One Family

Reunion in Tunisia

A regional meeting of 24 Sasakawa Fellows¹, hailing from 12 Africancountries, was held in Tunis, Tunisia on August 26-29, 2022. This was the
5th regional meeting, and the first in four years since the WMU Sasakawa
Fellows’ Network Meeting held in London in January 2018.
The event was planned in a hurry to coincide with the holding of theTokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD)² which, after having been postponed repeatedly because of the COVID-19
pandemic, had just been officially scheduled to take place in summer.
As with previous regional meetings, the Secretariat created a program
draft, the main purpose of which was to enhance and expand the Sasakawa
Fellows Network. All participants prepared materials in advance despite theshort time allotted before the regional meeting took place. In the pages
onwards, you will find a summary of the incredible occasion that took place.
Preparatory Meeting (August 26, Afternoon)
Many, many Fellows faced difficulties obtaining a visa in the shortamount of time available, so unfortunately, not all invitees were able toattend. On this day, the WMU President, Dr. Cleopatra Doumbia-Henry,
was in attendance to see the participants introduce themselves. Many of theFellows had never met each other before this! Participants used PowerPoint
presentations in their self-introductions, and everyone could see how
the Fellows have each been leading fulfilling lives since their respective
graduations.
Next, there was a discussion regarding the structure of the sessions andworking groups scheduled to begin the following day, as well as who to electas chairs for each session. Ultimately, Mr. Nabil ANWARI was elected aschair for the overall event, with Mr. Houcem Eddine CHERNI and Ms.
Maureen Kanini KITHEKA as vice-chairs. Ms. Stella Joshua KATONDO
was selected as the chair for Session 3 to discuss ways to strengthen andexpand alumni networks. It was decided that the chairs for each of theworking groups in Session 2, in which various maritime issues would be
discussed, would be decided by the working group members themselves.

At the end of the preparatory meeting, Capt. Yusuke MORI, who wasparticipating as a representative of the Japanese Sasakawa Fellows and as
Deputy Executive Director of the International Association of Maritime
University (IAMU), gave an overview of IAMU’s important roles and activities.
With that, the preparatory meeting was over. Everyone headed on to
the evening welcome party where they were joined by Dr. Hide Sakaguchi(President of the Ocean Policy Research Institute, SPF) and his staff from
TICAD. WMU graduates from Tunisia made special guest appearances, andall attendees enjoyed a friendly and fun reception which lasted until late at night.
Day 1 (August 27)(1) Opening Ceremony
After an opening address by Dr. Sakaguchi, a video message from Chairman
Sasakawa was shown. This was followed by a congratulatory address by Dr.
Doumbia-Henry, who celebrated the regional meeting’s occurrence and spokeof the importance of alumni activities. Lastly, Ms. Thouraya Khelil of the
OMMP (Office of Merchant Marine and Ports), co-organizers of the regional
meeting, gave a warm welcoming address to the audience.
Following the opening ceremony, Chairman Sasakawa - who wasparticipating in TICAD - took time out of his packed schedule to make an
appearance at the meeting. Overjoyed, the Sasakawa Fellows welcomed his visit
by singing WMU’s university song. Chairman Sasakawa nodded as they eachtold him about their current activities and responded warmly to their questions.
This long-awaited meeting was concluded with group photos with Chairman
Sasakawa, as well as several Sasakawa Fellows who had arrived in the nick oftime after overcoming flight and visa issues.
(2) Session 1: Maritime Review of Each Country
Participants explained how their countries were doing regarding maritime
affairs and current issues they were facing. Each presentation was followed byquestions from the enthusiastic and curious Sasakawa Fellows. Their thirst forlearning clearly didn’t end with graduation!

Continued on next page

Day 2 (August 28)(1) Session 2: Working Group Discussions
Participants were separated into working groups based on 4 different
themes: (a) Maritime Transport and Port/Harbor Issues, (b) Maritime Safety
and Environmental Protection, (c) Maritime/Ocean Education (including
Human Capacity Development), and (d) Ocean Governance. They selected
specific topics and fervently carried out discussions aimed at resolving futureissues.
Each working group spent some time before and after lunch to put
together a summary based on what they had discussed, and finally, presented
their conclusions to all the meeting participants that afternoon. As they took
the floor, the presenters passionately exchanged questions and answers withmembers from the other working groups.
(2) Session 3: Discussions on Alumni Networks in Africa
Representatives talked about their country’s alumni activities (or lackthereof ) and an energetic and passionate discussion was held to create ideas
for expanding the alumni network moving forward. Some common issues werebrought up: the lack of alumni per country, the lack of responsive members
and a means for reaching out to alumni, and the lack of alumni leaders who
can take the initiative to organize events. The talks culminated in the solution:
establishing a strongly bonded group once and for all at this very moment,
leading to the Resolution.

(3) Farewell Reception
For about an hour at the beginning, participants intensely discussed themeeting’s resolution draft prepared by Mr. Nabil.The timing of the toast was very
delayed because of this and there was regrettably less time for socializing. Evenso, the party must go on. With music, dancing, laughter, and commemorative
speeches, the reception broke up on a very heartwarming note.
Acknowledgements
We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to the OMMP for theirunderstanding and unwavering cooperation in holding this meeting, especiallythe port tours. We would also like to thank Dr. Cleopatra Doumbia-Henry, whokindly took three days out of her busy schedule to participate in this meeting.
Lastly, thank you to Tunisian Sasakawa Fellow Houcem CHERNI, for histireless and passionate work in making this event a huge success.

Day 3 (August 29)(1) Port Visit (Morning)Thanks to the OMMP’s generous support and meticulous
preparations, the Fellows had the unique opportunity ofboarding a large tugboat from the Port of La Goulette during
the port visits. They landed to a cheerful reception at the Portof Radès, where they donned “uniforms.” Afterwards, theyreceived detailed tours of the Mediterranean Training Institutefor Maritime Professions (IMFMM) and saw their simulatorsand other facilities firsthand.

¹Attendees at the regional meeting are as follows. (In alphabetical order ofcountry names)
Mr. Yehonnou Tchegbenton Fabrice METONWAHO (Benin, 2018),
Mr. Etakong TABEYANG (Cameroon, 2018), Mr. Djaiblond DominiqueYohann KOUAKOU (Côte d'Ivoire, 2021), Capt. Ehab Ibrahim OTHMAN(Egypt, 2004), Capt. Amr Monir IBRAHIM (Egypt, 2013), Capt. Fawzy
Fathalla DEKINESH (Egypt, 2018), Mr. Prosper Senyo BEDIAKO(Ghana, 2017), Mr. Marvin Bang-Gesina AYOO (Ghana, 2020), Ms.
Synclesia Wenia PWATIRAH (Ghana, 2021), Ms. Elsie Nyabonyi
BIKONDO (Kenya, 2012), Ms. Fiona Syovata MBANDI (Kenya, 2013),
Mr. Juma Ahmed ALI (Kenya, 2015), Ms. Margaret Wanjiku WACHIRA(Kenya, 2019), Ms. Maureen Kanini KITHEKA (Kenya, 2020), Mr. Nabil
ANWARI (Morocco, 2005), Mr. Roland Oladipo IJABIYI (Nigeria, 2019),
Capt. Abiodun Abidemi FOLORUNSHO (Nigeria, 2020), Mr. Yakubu
ABUBAKAR (Nigeria, 2021), Ms. Stella Joshua KATONDO (Tanzania,
2001), Dr. Tumaini Shabani GURUMO (Tanzania, 2007), Mr. Kwilasa
Lushanga NG’WIGULU (Tanzania, 2021), Mr. N’Hoboutoun SANTA(Togo, 2018), Mr. Houcem Eddine CHERNI (Tunisia, 2020), Ms. Bibian
TURYAHUMURA (Uganda, 2021), Capt. Yusuke MORI ( Japan, 2014)(2) Sightseeing (Afternoon)
The Fellows enjoyed some leisure and shopping time in theblue and white resort area of Sidi Bou Said, which sits in the
Mediterranean Sea. Their sightseeing adventure finished with atrip to the distant past – to the UNESCO World Heritage siteof the Ancient Carthage ruins.

²Established in 1993 at the proposal of Chairman Sasakawa, this international
conference brings together the broad knowledge and cooperation of not only
African countries but also international organizations, which supports capacity
development, private enterprises, and civic society, conducting discussions thatlead to true African development. The conference is held roughly every three
years in Japan or at an African country.

2Nabil Anwari (Morocco, 2005)

Houcem Eddine Cherni (Tunisia, 2020)

The WMU Sasakawa Fellows Network Africa Meeting which took
place in Tunisia from August 26 to August 29, 2022 has deeply reflected
the spirit of brotherhood that has been an intrinsic feature of the WMU
community. Actually, bringing fellows from different African countries andvaried subgenerations has been an opportunity to set at least for few daysa bridge between the past, the present and the future of a WMU family,
which is steadily flourishing from year to year.
From a substantive perspective, the gathering which was attended byseveral distinguished guests such as Dr. Cleopatra Doumbia-Henry, President of WMU, encompassed a set of rewarding sessions on different topics
related to ocean governance as a whole. Moreover, one need to underline
the memorable moments that have been shared with Mr. Sasakawa, whotook time out of his tight schedule and joined the event. This exceptional
occurrence was a valuable occasion to grasp some of the inner knowledge
and wisdom of Mr Sasakawa.
I am grateful to the Sasakawa Peace Foundation and to all those who
contributed to this endeavour. I am looking forward to the development ofa long lasting platform designed to foster ties between all African Sasakawa
fellows.

Firstly when I received the news from Mr. Kudo about the possibility ofarranging a regional meeting for the Sasakawa fellows from Africa in mycountry I was very happy and enthusiastic to participate. Nevertheless, I felt
the stress of arranging a field study trip and getting invitations to participantsfrom my organization where I work due to time pressure. Luckily, the CEOof the Office of Merchant Marine and Ports of Tunisia, Mr. Fouad OTHMAN has welcomed the idea of arranging a visit of La Goulette and Rades
Ports and he ordered to rapidly arrange correspondences to the Ministry ofTransport requesting the necessary permissions. Unfortunately, we get the authorization to issue invitations just few days before the event while there were
procedures to follow by Ministries of Transport and foreign affairs which takeconsiderable time. Thanks to the efforts made by the SPF staff, we overcame
the inconvenience and mostly all participants have made it to attend theevent. The meeting was a success where we have been able to exchange information and strengthening our network. Furthermore, I was pleased to meetand discuss with Dr. Cleopatra Doumbia-Henry, WMU president, all along
the event days. I felt also grateful to meet with Dr. Sasakawa for the first time
and to discover such a great and humble personality. We had the opportunity
during the 3rd day to visit Ports facilities of Rades and La Goulette and it wasa pleasure to have a tour onboard a Tug boat. At the end we found the time tovisit the beautiful village of SidiBousaid and the attractive ruins of Carthage
where we had a good time.

Maureen Kanini Kitheka (Kenya, 2020)
The climax of the meeting was the putting together of the resolution
document. This was not an easy affair as participants had diverse ideas
which were not only relevant but equally important in the attainment of theWMU Sasakawa Fellows Alumni network agenda. In addition, this wasdone during the evening cocktail, which was the last networking moment
for the fellows before embarking on their journeys back home. In the end,
the meeting agreed that the very urgent need was to set the ball rolling, andas such, we narrowed down on the basics to create a strong network of maritime professionals within the Sasakawa Fellows, to address the common
problems facing Africa’s Maritime Sector. Among the key issues in the resolutions were the objectives of the Alumni, election of substantive officebearers and regular meetings to discuss on the activities of the network. The
resolutions adopted forms the maiden steps towards the establishment of astrong Alumni to support Africa’s maritime sector.

Stella Joshua Katondo (Tanzania, 2001)
It was an invaluable event; socially and professionally. It brought together fellows whom I knew and some I’ve never met before. We easily
shared work experiences and learnt from each other with deliberation of
having more meetings. As a family, we had an opportunity of having theWMU President and a golden opportunity blended with the blessing of
meeting our father Dr. Yohei Sasakawa. Graduating from WMU is a great
achievement for WMU Sasakawa Fellows of Africa, which has been done
through his facilitation and institution. In addition, it means that there is
now a large African family of ocean and maritime field experts. Throughour acquaintance and cooperation, we can make efficient and optimal contributions to our countries and the world in general so as to realize H.E.
Sasakawa’s dreams.

3

Ehab Ibrahim Othman (Egypt, 2004)

Synclesia Wenia Pwatirah (Ghana, 2021)

WMU Sasakawa fellow’s network meeting of Africa was held in Tunis on the 26th of August 2022. A group of 26 fellows from 12 Africancountries, the fellows were very lucky to meet with the respected Master Mr. Yohei Sasakawa on the 2nd day of the meeting. His excellency
shared with fellows his experience in serving humans in different fields,
specially his work in leprosy elimination program and the great successhe has achieved in that field.
The WMU Sasakawa scholarship is very unique since many other
scholarships around the world end when the student graduates. Thanks
to the respected Nippon Foundation and Sasakawa Peace Foundation.
Special thanks and gratitude to the Mr. Yohei Sasakawa for everything
he and his respected organizations did to make all of us more effective
members of the international maritime community.

This network meeting has truly re-emphasized that we are indeed
one family. Most of us met for the first time and it was as if we had
known each other for long. I feel lucky to be part of this family and I
am delighted to have attended the meeting. Firstly, I met Dr. Sasakawa
in person for the first time, I met new people, made new friends andcreated lasting connections. Most especially, the knowledge I gainedin the maritime affairs of participating countries was immeasurable.
Tumaini Shabani Gurumo (Tanzania, 2007)
The WMU Sasakawa Fellows Meeting in the African Region – Tunis
2022 provided four beautiful days of family reunion where maritime experiences were shared and possible ways to overcome sector challenges
were discussed. It was a moment of reconsidering my responsibility as ahuman being, a maritime professional and a WMU Sasakawa Fellow. I
came out encouraged to NEVER GIVE UP!

Bibian Turyahumura (Uganda, 2021)
I wish to express my heart felt thank you to Mr. Yohei Sasakawa, Kudo
-san, Kana-san, Kato-san, Yusuke-san and everyone else who made thisevent successful. Thank you for working tirelessly to enable us to meet as
WMU Sasakawa family. I deeply appreciate giving my country Uganda,
a chance to be part of the impactful maritime discussions. The meeting
was very enriching and full of great ideas that enlightened me to go backto my country and share the knowledge gained in relation to maritime
issues and solve them joined globally and sustainably. More to that I had
a warm stay, made new network of great friends in Tunis, l really had agood time!

Djaiblond Dominique-Yohann Kouakou (Cote d’Ivoire, 2021)
This year’s network meeting in the African region was a rewarding
experience. The SPF has been providing to all fellows a tremendous
support for so many years. Meeting Dr. Sasakawa in person gave me
the opportunity to express him my profound gratitude. I look forward to engage with this family who gets bigger and bigger throughthe years.

Resolution
We, the participants of the WMU Sasakawa Fellows’ Network Meeting for the African Region (hereby referred to as THE WMU SASAKAWA FELLOWS AFRICA meeting held in Tunisia from 26th to 29th
August 2022, attended by 26 fellows from 12 Countries (Attached is thelist of participants).

1. To elect an Executive Committee and a secretariat to coordinate theaffairs of the Network. In the meantime, the meeting appointed interim office bearers; Tunisia – as Chair and Kenya as Secretariat tomanage the affairs of the network for a period of one (1) year during
which, substantive office bearers shall be elected;
2. To enhance the Friends of WMU, Japan Website by making more
effective and meaningful communication among fellows and for thepromotion of the Network to benefit the maritime sectors of ourvarious Countries;
3. To regularly update the Fellows’ directory in a bid to keep it alive
and relevant;
4. To improve our participation by contributing to the Newsletter of
Friends of WMU Japan, through articles touching on current maritime issues and challenges within our region;
5. To utilize our respective maritime knowledge, skills, expertise andexperiences, for the development of Africa and the global maritime
sectors;
6. To hold quarterly meetings to monitor and evaluate the implementation of this network’s resolution; and7. To make active use of this network as an effective tool for solving
various issues and for promoting sustainable development of maritime and ocean sectors.

Mindful of the fact that the African Fellows have been dormant withminimal communication and interaction;
RECOGNISING the need to create WMU Sasakawa Fellows’ Network in the African Region for the purpose of establishing and maintaining a constant link among Country and Regional Fellows for mutual
cooperation and exchange of beneficial information; andCONSIDERING the availability of human resources and the maximum utilization of current information and communication technologies
and tools.
DO agree;To ADOPT an ACTION PLAN to fulfill the objectives of theWMU Sasakawa Fellows’ Network and its future expansion as follows:

Done in Tunis, on 28th day of August, 2022.
4

The World Maritime University: Empowering Women for Science,
Policy and the Blue Economy in the Ocean Decade and Beyond
Sarah Mahadeo
Research Fellow,
WMU-Sasakawa Global
Ocean Institute
The United Nations Ocean Conference 2022
(UNOC 2022) was held in Lisbon, Portugal from27 June to 1 July. The long-awaited event follows theinaugural conference held in 2017, which sought tomobilise action for the conservation and sustainable
use of the ocean and marine resources. The overarching theme of the conference was “Scaling up
ocean action based on science and innovation for
the implementation of Goal 14: stocktaking, partnerships and solutions”.
More than 6000 members of the global oceancommunity assembled at UNOC 2022. The
WMU- Sasakawa Global Ocean Institute (GOI)
was well represented and together with several
partner organisations collaborated for the deliveryof three side events. Two of these were focused on
the theme of women’s empowerment.
Empowering Women for the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development
On 27 June, the first of the two side events focused on empowering women showcased the workof WMU PhD researchers Renis Ojawala and Ellen Johannesen as well as Postdoctoral Fellow Dr.
Mariamalia Rodriguez-Chaves. They each presented compelling new research highlighting genderdisparities in academic organisations, including theInternational Council for the Exploration of the Sea(ICES) and higher-education institutions in Kenya.
Their research is part of the GOI´s Empowering
Women for the United Nations Decade of Ocean
Science for Sustainable Development (Empowering
Women Programme) that is endorsed by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of theUnited Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural

Organization (IOC-UNESCO) as a Decade Actionof the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for
Sustainable Development. Principal Investigator,
Associate Professor Zhen Sun, introduced the programme which seeks to promote ocean governanceand maritime activities, taking into account genderequality and the empowerment of women for sustainable management of the global ocean.
Following the presentations, a round-table discussion was chaired by Professor Patricia Galvão
Telles (Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs) andfeatured a panel of ocean experts including HelenÅgren (Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs), Dr.
Hide Sagaguchi (Sasakawa Peace Foundation), Dr.
Naomi Harada (University of Tokyo), Dr. Jacqueline
Uku (Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute), Captain Ariel Troisi (IOC-UNESCO) andPeggy Kalas (High Seas Alliance). Among the issues
discussed were the rights of women to work andshape society; creating enabling conditions for women in the workplace; ending gender-based violence;
mentoring and leadership skills training for women;
and laws and policies addressing these issues.
The event closed with an inspiring speech by
WMU President, Dr. Cleopatra Doumbia-Henry, who shared her personal experience navigating
the maritime professional world as a woman coming from Dominica, a Small Island Developing
State (SIDS) in the Eastern Caribbean. President
Doumbia-Henry also officially launched the Global Stakeholder Consultative Forum, a platform tofacilitate knowledge exchange and co-developmentof good practice to promote women’s empowerment under the Ocean Decade.
Empowering Women: An Ocean of Opportunities in Science, Policy and Blue Economy
The second side event was held on 28 June andwas aimed at facilitating dialogue on the interlinkages between Sustainable Development Goal 14,
Life Below Water and Goal 5, Achieve Gender5

Equality and Empower all Women and Girls. The
session was moderated by Professor Ronan Long,
Director of the GOI. High-level panelists included
Maria Damanaki (Women for the Ocean), H.E.
Kitack Lim (International Maritime Organization), H.E. Michael Lodge (International Seabed
Authority), Minako Iue (Sailors for the Sea Japan)
and the Honourable Athill Dean Jonas (Government of Antigua and Barbuda). Speaker interventions and the subsequent discussion focusedon the added value of women’s representation insustainability and ocean issues as well as the needfor partnerships to ensure the conservation andsustainable use of our ocean and its resources. At
the close of the event, President Doumbia-Henry
reiterated the importance of the newly launched
Global Stakeholder Consultative Forum. Next on
the agenda for this initiative is developing an action plan and identifying relevant stakeholders forcollaboration and partnerships.
Looking Ahead
As a woman from Trinidad and Tobago, a Caribbean SIDS, working in the field of Marine Spatial
Planning, I am inspired by the work that my colleagues are undertaking in the Empowering Women Programme. We are well aware of the genderdisparities in our workplaces. Further research into
understanding the multiple and varied dimensionsof these issues and why they exist are fundamental
to effecting change.
Over the course of the conference, many voluntary commitments and pledges were made andon 1 July all 198 members of the United Nations
unanimously adopted the Lisbon Declaration. We
look forward to continuing with this impetus in the
coming months, mobilising partnerships throughthe Global Stakeholder Consultative Forum and to
more contributions to the Ocean Decade and othercollaborations to sustain the momentum gained in
Lisbon.

Updates from

Inspiration from Dr. Yohei Sasakawa: Family, Leadership, and Achievement
Nugroho Dwi Priyohadi(Indonesia, 2005)
I graduated from WMU a long time ago, in2005 - Wow! It was 17 years ago, and I still remember those days living in Malmö, Sweden.
My major was Port Management, and Alhamdulillah, I was fully supported by the WMU Sasakawa Fellowship Program under The Nippon
Foundation, led by Dr. Yohei Sasakawa. I am really thankful.
After graduating, I resumed my career at PT
Pelindo III Group, and I was promoted from Assistant Manager to Manager, then to Senior Manager, and now to Senior Vice President, as well as
Director of our subsidiary company PT Pelindo
III Group.

Me with my colleagues at STIAMAK Barunawati
Surabaya (2021)

Master’s degree program, and the Doctoral program in industrial and organizational psychology
at Airlangga University, Surabaya.
I also still remember Mr. Eisuke Kudo’s message when we met up during a visit by WMU students to Japan in 2004. He said that learning andsocialization were equally important, including
establishing international relationships throughthe Nippon Foundation Alumni Family.
Me with my wife, sons, and daughter
For all the things that I gained after finishing
my studies in Malmö, I would like to thank you
I am deeply inspired by the leadership of Dr. Yovery much for the attention, scholarship assishei Sasakawa under the motto: “One World, One
tance, and family atmosphere provided by the
Family.” It is leadership that demonstrates the valNippon Foundation.
ues of togetherness, kinship, and strong leadership,
I wish you all—but especially Dr. Yohei Sasakaas well as achievement.
wa—good health and happiness to continue sharAs part of my self-improvement process, ining with humanity.
2021, I received awards for Best Presenter at the
5th Management and Business World Conference as well as Best Leadership of Port Management School 2021 due to my role as Chairman of
STIAMAK Barunawati Surabaya (October 2018
– October 2021). Also, after the merger of PT Pelindo III with Pelindo I, II, and IV, on 1 October,
2021, I am now Human Capital Director of Dana
Pensiun Pelindo, Jakarta.
I believe that these achievements did not comeeasily. However, it has been a long journey since
One of my achievements
I studied at World Maritime University in the

A Career Across Countries: From Sweden to Germany, Singapore to France
Nguyen Khoi Tran
(Vietnam, 2006)

It has been 16 years since I joined the prestigious
master’s program at World Maritime University(WMU), thanks to the Sasakawa scholarship. My
time at WMU has paved the way for my academic career. After completing my doctoral researchat the University of Bremen (Germany), I joined a
research group at Nanyang Technological University(Singapore) to do a project on ship emissions. Since
February 2019, I have been an assistant professor
at EM-Normandie Business School (EMN) in Le
Havre (France).
Le Havre is a port city like Malmo and Singapore.
The name “Le Havre” means “the harbour.” Coincidentally, I visited this city during a field trip in my

A chain of containers - A symbol of the port city Le Havre

master’s program. It is located in the Normandy region of northern France and is a leading container
port in Europe.
My school, EMN, was founded in 1871 as one of
the first French international management schools.
In addition to the traditional campus in Le Havre,
there are other campuses in Caen and Paris (France),
Dublin (Ireland) and Oxford (the UK). Originatingfrom an important port city, EMN has a strong tradition in maritime training and education, primarily
via the well-known master’s program, International
Logistics and Port Management, and other IMO
training programs such as Women in Port and Port
Exploitation and Management.
I am delighted because my current job allows me
to work in maritime education. My main subjects
include international trade, shipping business strategy, and sustainable transportation for post-graduate students. Like other colleagues, I am facing
growingly active and diversified students as well asa fast-changing world, which require continuous updates and adjustments in my lectures. However, myprevious time at WMU provided me with a goodbackground in building teaching activities, especiallyby using practical case studies in the maritime industry. Experiences in Sweden, Germany, and Singapore are also beneficial for me to deal in a diversified environment with students from France andother countries.
My career has been a long journey of sixteen years
6

Port of Le Havre - Only 500 metres from my campus

so far. I was very fortunate to have such tremendous
support from The Nippon Foundation during theearly stages. I will never forget my wonderful time in
Malmo, not just because of the exciting lectures andhard-working times, but thanks also to the friendly
atmosphere created by students from many countries worldwide.
I hope that I will have a chance to visit Malmo andsee my friendly classmates as well as people from the
Nippon Foundation, especially Mr. Eisuke Kudo
and Mr. Shinichi Ichikawa, who have provided mewith a lot of help, guidance, and concern.

EMN Campus in Le Havre - Besides a berth of cruise ships

Sasakawa Fellows

Major Amendments to the Maritime Labour Convention- Improving Seafarers' Living and Working Conditions -Yasuhiro Urano(Japan, 2012)

The Maritime Labour Convention, 2006, as
amended (MLC, 2006), was adopted by the International Labour Organization (ILO) on 23 February 2006 (entered into force on 20 August 2013) tocreate a single and coherent instrument embodying as far as possible all up-to-date standards ofexisting international maritime labour conventions
and recommendations, as well as the fundamental
principles to be found in other international labour
conventions (the Preamble of the MLC, 2006).
The MLC, 2006 prescribes seafarers’ rights to decent conditions of work on almost every aspect of
their working and living conditions. The Special
Tripartite Committee (STC) of the MLC, 2006
was established under Article XIII of the MLC,
2006 to keep the Convention under continuous
review through it.
From 5 to 13 May 2022, the fourth meeting(From the left) Mr. Mark Dickinson, Seafarer ViceChairperson; Mr. Urano, Government Vice-Chairperson;
Mr. Guy Ryder, Director-General of the ILO; Ms. Julie
Carlton, Chairperson; and Mr. Dirk Max Johns, Shipowner
Vice-Chairperson

The Government group meeting, chaired by Mr. Urano(part II) of the STC was held with over 500 participants. During this session, the STC discussed
various proposals from the Seafarers’ group, theShipowners’ group and some Government members to amend the MLC, 2006 for the purposeof improving seafarers’ living and working conditions, taking into account lessons learned during
the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, I was appointed as the Government Vice-Chairperson andchaired the Government group meeting held in
advance to plenary session of the Committee everyday, contributing to facilitating negotiations andcompromises among Government members.
As a result of extensive discussion, the STC
agreed the amendments which ensure that*:・seafarers have appropriately-sized personal protective equipment, in particular to suit the increasing number of women seafarers;
・good quality drinking water is available free ofcharge for seafarers;
・States further facilitate the prompt repatriationof abandoned seafarers;
・States provide medical care for seafarers in needof immediate assistance and facilitate the repatriation of the remains of seafarers who havedied on board;・ seafarers are provided with appropriate social
connectivity by shipowners and States provide
internet access in their ports;
・ seafarers are informed of their rights relating
to the obligation of recruitment and placement
services to compensate seafarers for monetarylosses; and・all deaths of seafarers are recorded and reported annually to the ILO and the relevant data ispublished.
*Reference: “Shipping industry adopts amendments to Maritime Labour Convention to improve seafarers’ conditions”, ILO official website,
16 May 2022
https://www.ilo.org/global/about-the-ilo/
newsroom/news/WCMS_845144/lang--en/index.htm
These amendments were approved by the 110th
session of the International Labour Conference
held from 27 May to 11 June 2022 and will enter into force by December 2024. I hope that the
MLC, 2006, with these amendments, will further
improve the living and working conditions ofseafarers, who contribute to sustaining the world
economy and protecting our lives as “key workers”.

Through the Eyes of Perpetual Learners:

A Meaningful Homage from a Philippine Coast Guard Duo
Christine Pauline Bergano Diciano(Philippines, 2015)
Euphraim Jayson Diciano(Philippines, 2022)
Ours was not a typical foregather. In 2005, wewere training staff at the Coast Guard Training
Center (CGTC), serving at the basic Coastguardsman’s Course for PCG non-officers. Ourlife together evolved along with our respective
careers. We have seen how the Philippine Coast
Guard has evolved from a lighthouse agency toan emerging multi-mission and humanitarianorganization critical to nation-building, regional
maritime stability, and long-term international
maritime relevance.

In all the years of our lifework, we become perpetual learners so that we can forge the characterand legacy we want for the organization and ourcountry. With profound gratitude, it is truly anhonor to be the first PCG couple to be awarded
the Sasakawa Peace Foundation (SPF) scholarship program at the prestigious World Maritime
University. This has not only advanced our personal development but also catapulted our professional development in unimaginable ways.
After graduating from WMU in 2015, Christine was promoted to the rank of CG Captainand had the honor of serving as Commander
of Coast Guard Internal Audit (2016-2019),
Gender and Development (2019-2020), and
the Procurement Service concurrently. She
then rose through the ranks to become Deputy
7

Commander of Coast Guard Logistics Systems
Command; Battle Captain for Task Group Resource Management, Logistics, and Administration (TG RMLA) of the “whole-of-nation”
approach against COVID-19 (2020-2022);
and Head of Logistics Cluster heavily involved

Continued on page 8

in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief(HADR) operations during the onslaught of
typhoons Rolly, Ulysses, and Odette, as well as
the eruption of Taal Volcano. Another chapter in her life was written on April 12, 2022,
when she was appointed Commander of the
Coast Guard Aviation Force (CGAF). It has
made strides for women in law enforcement
and coast guard operations as the first female
and youngest officer to take the helm amonglaw enforcement and military organizations in
the country.
Jayson’s exposure to MEP, Maritime Security and Law Enforcement, as well as SAR
operations, landed him a position as Chief ofStaff of Coast Guard District Southwestern
Mindanao. It promoted the safe passage ofapproximately 17,000 vessels passing throughhis AOR as Commander of SAR Base Sibutu.

Now that his Masters in Maritime Affairs specializing in Maritime Safety and Environmental
Administration (MSEA) has been successfullycompleted this year, he will be taking on greater
duties and responsibilities upon his return to thePhilippines.
As leaders and managers, we both ensure thatthe platforms we serve are participatory, empowering, equitable, and sustainable on multiple levels. We learn, standardize, and cascade. And, as
we pursue better strategic directions and strive toprovide mechanisms for social change, we continue to live by the SPF mantra of understanding
today’s challenges and forging new paths toward
a more harmonious, sustainable, and inclusive
future.
Together with our children, we are a familyborn and made strong by the PCG and SPF. The
service we perform on a daily basis, the nation towhich we devote our lives, the international community with which we unite - this life is an exciting odyssey, full of blessings as well as purpose.
Along with the lives that the SPF has enriched
and the nations that have flourished, domo arigato gozaimasu our Sasakawa family!

Introducing a New Editorial Committee Member!

Shun Masui
Japan Ship Technology Research Association

Hello! I am Shun Masui, a newly appointed member to the newsletter’s editing
committee. I started working at the Japan Ship Technology Research Association inTokyo this summer, on secondment from my original post at the Ministry of Land,
Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.
I have been involved in various opportunities related to the international maritime
community, including the Japan International Cooperation Agency ( JICA)’s
Technological Cooperation Projects in the field of Marine Environment Protection and
Search and Rescue, APEC Workshop on Capacity Building for Preventing Accidents inMaritime Dangerous Goods & Containers Transportation, and a lot of IMO meetings.
However, whether it’s meeting someone for the first time or after a long time, thesituation gradually allows us to physically socialize, which is very exciting!
In closing, I wish to express my gratitude to those who contribute to this issue, andhope you and your loved ones stay safe and healthy.

Over the past two years, there was never an opportunity for the 70 or
so Sasakawa students - both new and old - to come together face to faceunder the roof. However, with the slight loosening of travel restrictions
aimed at preventing the spread of the COVID-19 virus, I visited Malmöfor the first time in a long while for the purpose of holding a gatheringorientation. I was relieved to see that the class attendance system has
almost fully returned to how it was pre-pandemic through the efforts ofuniversity staff.
Originally, this newsletter issue was to have been published in
September, and I apologize for the significant delay. The main reason forthe delay is that the Secretariat’s power shorted out due to the decision
to hold an urgent meeting of African Sasakawa Fellows in August in
Tunis following publication of the previous issue, but another reason
was a shortage of articles contributions. To my regret, this is the first
instance of mismanagement since the newsletter was first issued.
Has anybody noticed that the motto below the title on the front page
has changed from “The world is a family, and all humankind are brothers
and sisters” - which had been the motto since the inaugural issue - to“One World, One Family”? The Nippon Foundation supports around
10 human resource training programs counting just those related tomaritime and ocean affairs, including the WMU Fellowship Program,with around 1,600 graduates from 150 countries participating in these
programs. I firmly believe that these programs are the largest in the worldprovided by an NPO. The change in motto reflects Chairman Sasakawa’s
wish for participants in these programs to unite and take action for the
future of the oceans - in other words, for the Earth.
I always make the same request in this column, but it is impossible tomaintain an alumni newsletter without voluntary article contributions
from readers. I would like to share a sense of crisis with you all that if thisnewsletter ceases publication, “the WMU Sasakawa scholarship system
will also die.”
Eisuke Kudo
(Advisor, SPF)

This newsletter is published under a grant from The Nippon Foundation

to promote communication among the Sasakawa Fellows of WMU (World Maritime University)and edited by the Sasakawa Peace Foundation in cooperation with Dr. Koji Murai
Ms. Maki Tominaga, Mr. Shun Masui and Mr. Eisuke Kudo
Friends of WMU, Japan Secretariat, The Sasakawa Peace Foundation
The Sasakawa Peace Foundation Bldg., 1-15-16 Toranomon, Minato-ku, Tokyo 105-8524 Japan
Tel: +81-(0)3-5157-5263 Fax: +81-(0)3-5157-5230 URL: http://www.spf.org/en/