During the first half of 2008, World Bank PIC Tokyo held 32 events, 7 photographic exhibitions and panels, and 2 musical performances featuring international development issues. World Bank staff, NGO personnel, and members of the diplomatic community in Japan joined for easy to understand events and presentations like the TICAD Civil Forum Coffee Hours on Africa, Japan NGO Network on Disabilities (JANNET) and the Nippon Foundation’s Disabilities and Development Series, and JICA’s Talk Salon Series to link domestic, international, and public sector issues.
As part of the Career Series at PIC, Japanese staff from the World Bank and other international development banks have discussed their career paths and career experiences in development. The guest speakers included Motoo Konishi, Manager for Transport Sector in Europe and Central Asia Region, Hideki Mori, Manager for the Bank’s Young Professionals Program, and Jeannie Crist, IFC Human Resources Officer. Also, sportscaster and Sydney Olympics bronze medalist in the 400 meter medley Ms. Masami Tanaka was a guest speaker during a Coffee Hour and videoconference session, promoting a swimming event to help defeat malaria, the World Swim Against Malaria. Dr. Toru Honda, the head of SHARE spoke for 4 sessions that dealt with medical care and health issues in developing countries. Each of these events attracted good audiences. Japanese sign language interpretation is provided at World Bank PIC Coffee Hours and talk salons.
In the first half of the year, our cooperation with artists and performers expanded. TICAD IV (4th Tokyo International Conference on African Development) was held in Yokohama May 28-30, and World Bank PIC took advantage of the conference to host several photo exhibits that featured African people, their lifestyle, the beauty of the African continent, and its wildlife. The works of Akio IIzuka, Koutaro Sano, Mariko Itagaki, Naoko Sakurai, and Go Yamagata were displayed at PIC in the lobby of the Fukoku Seimei Building. The well-known jazz bassist Teruo Nakamura, a Japanese musician who has been advocating for awareness about HIV/AIDS in New York and Japan the past 13 years, held performances along with his friends at PIC in November of last year, and has continued that tradition with 2 more performances so far this year. The live jazz shows in the Fukoku Building lobby has created a buzz and filled the space with people joining in to listen on their way home from work. Mr. Nakamura’s performances set against a background with a photo exhibition featuring shots over the years of his campaign against HIV/AIDS by photographer Akiyoshi Miyashita. Joining Mr. Nakamura on his tours were former Japanese Ambassador to Zambia Hiroyuki Ishi and Nihon University Medical Faculty Professor Shigemasa Sawada, who spoke about HIV/AIDS at a World Bank videoconference connecting various audiences in 10 locations around the world.
Modern artist Tatsuo Miyajima and a group of children from Uganda are involved in preparation for a World Bank videoconference series called Orphans meet Artist/Artist meets Orphans that will bring artists in Yamagata Prefecture and Tokyo together with orphans who have lost their parents to HIV/AIDS in Uganda. This event is meant to encourage and connect children in the developing world to go for their dreams. Their completed artwork will be displayed at World Bank PIC Tokyo.
A total of 32 school groups on field trips, including junior high, high school, and university and graduate level students from various regions of Japan have come to visit the World Bank office and World Bank PIC during the January to June period. Students are introduced to World Bank staff and hear about the role of the World Bank in international development issues, then get a tour of the World Bank Tokyo office and TDLC (Tokyo Development Learning Center) with its videoconference facilities on the 10th floor of the Fukoku Seimei Building.
World Bank PIC participated with a booth set-up at 5 international cooperation events and career fairs over the first half of the year. These events included the One World Festival in Osaka (February 3-4), TICAD IV (4th Tokyo International Conference on African Development in Yokohama), and Mainichi Communications “My Navi” International Expo and Career Fair, where university students and young professionals had the opportunity to learn more about the Bank’s hiring process and scholarship programs.
The second half of 2008 should see even further expansion of these kinds of activities. If you have ideas or suggestions about possible future Coffee Hours, photo exhibitions, or other activities, please contact us at the World Bank PIC Tokyo by email: ptokyo@worldbank.orgor by telephone at (03) 3597-6650.
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