News Release
For Immediate Release
June 26, 2023
For inquiries:
Kathryn Bubolz
Associate Program Officer
Sasakawa USAkbubolz@spfusa.org

Sasakawa USA Announces 2023 SEED Delegation
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Sasakawa Peace Foundation USA (Sasakawa USA) is pleased to announce
the 2023 Sasakawa USA Emerging Experts Delegation (SEED) on the theme of Women, Peace andSecurity (WPS) within a U.S.-Japan context. This will be the ninth iteration of the SEED program,the purpose of which is to engage U.S. policy experts and opinion leaders to improve theirunderstanding of Japan and U.S.-Japan relations within the area of their expertise.
This year’s SEED program will explore the historical, societal, cultural, and political challenges andopportunities for the development of Women, Peace and Security within the U.S.-Japan alliance.
As a policymaking framework, WPS presents a golden opportunity for the United States andJapan to reinforce their shared commitment to democratic values while striving toward greateralignment on their national security strategies—a task of vital importance to maintaining peaceand stability in the greater Indo-Pacific region. Last October, former U.S. Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton spoke at the Sasakawa Peace Foundation in Tokyo to underscore the importanceof including women in peacemaking and conflict prevention, mediation, and resolution
processes. Since her visit, Japan has established its own parliamentary caucus focused on
advancing the country’s engagement on WPS. WPS also has been mentioned in key strategic
documents like Japan’s updated Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP) plan introduced in March
2023, and the G7 Japan 2023 Foreign Ministers’ Communiqué.
Ambassador Melanne Verveer, former U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues andSasakawa USA Advisory Committee Member, says of the 2023 SEED trip, “Now is a critical timefor the United States and Japan to collaborate on advancing the Women, Peace and Security
agenda in our respective societies. The 2023 SEED Program is poised to generate timely dialogue
between experts and leaders from both countries, thereby paving the way for expanded anddeepened alliance coordination on issues of gender, peacebuilding, and national security.”
With this context in mind, Sasakawa USA will bring an eight-member delegation of American WPSexperts involved in WPS policymaking and implementation—representing the key federal
government agencies, as well as the U.S. military and civil society—to engage with Japanesepoliticians, government officials, academics, civil society leaders, and media to exchange insights
on how the United States and Japan can work together to mutually advance WPS in the alliance.

Delegates:
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CDR Andre Agraviador; Senior Military Advisor; The Secretary’s Office of Global
Women’s Issues; Department of StateMs. Erin Cooper; Acting Director for International Humanitarian Policy; Department ofDefense
Ms. Sahana Dharmapuri; Director; Our Secure Future (a program of the One EarthFuture Foundation)
Dr. Jennifer Hawkins; Senior WPS Advisor and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Task Force
Lead; U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)
Ms. Monica Herrera; WPS Curriculum Developer; U.S. Indo-Pacific Command(USINDOPACOM)
Ms. Kayla McGill; WPS Policy Advisor and Lead on WPS Centers of Excellence; The
Secretary’s Office of Global Women’s Issues; Department of State
Dr. Jessica Smith; Director of Research; Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace andSecurity
Dr. Carolyn Washington; WPS Manager; U.S. Department of Homeland Security(invited)

For further information, please contact Associate Program Officer Isabelle Burke atiburke@spfusa.org.
###About Sasakawa Peace Foundation USA
Sasakawa Peace Foundation USA (Sasakawa USA) is a non-partisan 501 (c)(3) organization dedicated todeepening the understanding of and strengthening the relationship between the U.S. and Japan for thebenefit of a free and open international community. Its activities mainly focus on security and diplomacy,
through exchanges, dialogue, analysis, publications, and networking. Follow us on Twitter @SasakawaUSAand visit our website at Sasakawa USA.