March 27 marked the opening ceremony of the new UNITAR Hiroshima office. During the Executive Director’s opening remarks, he summarized the 20-year history of the Hiroshima Office and outlined prospects for the newly relocated office. The Executive Director expressed hope for UNITAR’s new activities and initiatives to continue building towards a sustainable and prosperous world. 

The opening ceremony of the new office was attended by Governor Mr Hidehiko Yuzaki of Hiroshima Prefecture, Deputy Mayor Mr Kenichi Susume of Hiroshima City, the Federation of Hiroshima Prefectural Assembly Members for Supporting UNITAR and Chairperson Mr Toshihiro Hiyama, UNITAR Association Chairman Mr Shigeki Sasaki, UNITAR Prosperity Division Director Ms Mihoko Kumamoto, and Head of UNITAR Hiroshima Office Ms Chisa Mikami and the stakeholders supporting UNITAR and its activities.

You can see the spectacular views from this [training] room and the commanding wisdom of Hiroshima, showing the museum, showing the peace path, showing the Peace Monument, showing the peace plan and radiating the message of Hiroshima. Therefore, I expect a greater focus from this office on issues of peace, including nuclear disarmament issues, which are very close to the Japanese foreign policy establishment and very close to the people of Hiroshima, where they focus so much on peace and resilience. I hope we'll be able to focus much more on these issues in the future. And of course, increase our partnerships in Hiroshima, with civil society, with academia, with the business sector, because that's how SDGs will ultimately get achieved. – Nikhil Seth, UNITAR Executive Director