From 20–22 January 2025, UNU hosted a workshop for 37 students from China under the theme "Understanding the United Nations as a Norm-shaper, Standard Setter, Actor and Forum for Negotiations". The workshop provided students with a unique opportunity to learn about the United Nations and the work of UNU, and to engage directly with the heads of UN entities located in Tokyo.
The students were accompanied by a delegation of 11 representatives from Chinese universities — including the Communication University of China, Beijing University of Agriculture, and Dalian University of Foreign Languages — as well as representatives from the China Center for International People-to-People Exchange (CCIPE).
The workshop began with welcome remarks from UNU Senior Vice-Rector Professor Sawako Shirahase, and from Yu Changxue, the Director-General of CCIPE. UNU Senior Programme Manager Alexandra Ivanovic followed with a presentation on the foundations of the United Nations System, and UNU Project Manager Nicolas du Bois offered an introduction to UNU.
Through interactive sessions over the course of three days, students were able to ask questions and gain valuable insights into the UN’s many roles in global governance.
The students participated in thematic workshops, including:
- Development and AI: Transformative Technology — Professor Tshilidzi Marwala, Rector, UNU
- Gender and Peace — Professor Sawako Shirahase, Senior Vice-Rector, UNU
- Progress of UN Sustainable Development Goals and the Synergy with Climate Change Actions — Professor Shinobu Yamaguchi, Director of the UNU Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability
- Skills Building: Working for the UN — Ken Okamoto, Chief of Human Resources, UNU
- Hard Cases in the UN Security Council: Ukraine Conflict — Alexandra Ivanovic, Senior Programme Manager, UNU
- Rights-based Development and Education — Nafissa Insebayeva, Research Fellow, UNU-IAS
Representatives of several UN agencies also gave presentations about their offices and organizations, including:
- United Nations Volunteers Tokyo Liaison Office — Asako Sakurai, Partnership Development Specialist
- United Nations Industrial Development Organization, Investment and Technology Promotion Office, Tokyo — Fumio Adachi, Head
- United Nations Population Fund Representation Office in Japan — Eiko Narita, Chief
- United Nations Children’s Fund Tokyo Office — Robert Benes, Director,
- United Nations Development Programme Representation Office in Tokyo — Hideko Hadzialic, Director
The workshop concluded with a dynamic simulation exercise on artificial intelligence (AI), where students applied their newfound knowledge to address complex global challenges. They received a zero draft of an AI governance treaty and were assigned roles as various UN Member States, civil society groups, regional organizations and industry representatives. From this, they researched and presented their stances as a simulation of UN treaty discussions. After working group sessions and a plenary debate, the student proceedings concluded with a revised treaty draft, reflecting and incorporating their various stances and visions for the governance of AI.
The students found the workshop enjoyable and insightful, and that it offered a rich perspective into the breadth of the United Nations work and the complexities it encounters in its service to humanity. Beyond the academic content, this event fostered meaningful cross-cultural exchanges, helping students broaden their perspectives on critical global issues and expand their skills in public speaking, negotiations and debates. The workshop also provided participating representatives with opportunities for fruitful dialogue with the UNU Rector, Senior Vice-Rector and Director of UNU-IAS on further collaboration and exchange, and hosting similar workshops in the future.
