by Flavia Pansieri*

08 April 2008

Tokyo, Japan: Excellencies, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,

We are gathered here today to honour Mr Takehito Nakata who has been serving as the sole Honorary Ambassador for the United Nations Volunteers programme for 15 years.

As many of you may be aware, Mr Nakata took up the position of UNV Honorary Ambassador in 1993, after the tragic death of his beloved son, Atsuhito.  Atsuhito, or rather Atsu, as all his friends used to call him, and as we also think of him, was working as a United Nations Volunteer in Cambodia as a District Election Supervisor with the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia, UNTAC. And it is exactly 15 years ago, that his young and vibrant life was cut short in a brutal and violent manner. Atsu would have turned 40 years old today. We can just picture him: an energetic, successful man in the prime of his years, surrounded by friends and family, the true pride of his father and his mother.      

Sadly, this was not meant to be. UNV lost one of its committed volunteers. Mr and Mrs Nakata lost a dearly loved only son.

In recognition of his contribution and dedication to promote world peace, Atsu was awarded the UN Dag Hammarskjold medal in 1998, which Mr Nakata received on his son’s behalf.   

Friends and fellow UNV volunteers, who were then in Cambodia with him, shared very favourable accounts of Atsu - their colleague and friend.  

Many of them described Atsu as a dynamic, active and passionate young man, who hated to sit at a safe distance and talk about the troubles faced by people.  Rather, he wanted to show his solidarity with, and support to, the suffering of people through his actions.  

In the UNV headquarters building in Bonn, Germany, we have a large painting of Atsu in action.  It hangs on the wall just outside my office. Even before knowing the full story of Atsu’s sacrifice, this painting haunted me. Why did I feel a pang of sorrow, every time I passed it? What story was this painting telling me? I had to ask my colleagues about that painting, and that is how I first came to know about Atsu.  I never had a chance to meet him, and yet, through the painting, I believe I came to understand the values of commitment, engagement and dedication that drove Atsu’s life; a short one, but rich in meaning and achievement.    

People who know Atsu’s story can see the same moral commitment, strength and dedication in his father, Ambassador Nakaka Takehito, who has carried on Atsuhito’s desire to contribute to world peace and development as a global citizen.

Since his nomination as UNV Honorary Ambassador, Mr Nakata has committed himself to a range of activities to promote UNV and, more importantly, volunteerism, throughout the world.

Through his numerous missions to UNV programmes in many countries, he encouraged and inspired a countless number of UNV volunteers and other volunteers.  He met with the people of local communities, NGOs and government partners of UNV, politicians and media in the countries he visited.  He has spoken passionately and frequently about the contributions of volunteering and the potential that volunteers would have in the future.

Over the 15 years Mr Nakata has been UNV Goodwill Ambassador, he has made over 50 visits to UNV programmes all over the world, given over 3,000 speeches at events celebrating the spirit of volunteerism in his own country and abroad. He has truly been an ambassador of the values of service and solidarity for which his son had given his life.

The colleagues at UNV who had the privilege of accompanying Mr Nakata on those missions were always struck by his energy to meet with numerous people and to visit very remote communities to talk about UNV and volunteerism.  His great sense of humour often lit up the faces of those who interacted with him. Only last week, during a mission to Honduras and Panama, I had the opportunity to meet colleagues who had met Mr Nakata in the course of their service with the UN. They asked to convey to you, Mr Nakata, their most sincere greetings. Meeting with you touched them deeply when they met you, and the emotion still accompanies them.      

Mr Nakata also represented UNV in a number of important international conferences and meetings, including the UN Goodwill Ambassadors’ Meetings in New York in 2000 and 2002, and the World Conference on Disaster Reduction in Kobe in 2005.  

Importantly, Mr Nakata was an initiator of the proposal to celebrate an International Year of Volunteers.  In 1995, Mr. Nakata was about to leave his home in Kobe for the airport to start his annual UNV mission, when the earthquake hit the area.  He immediately joined with other volunteers in the rescue and recovery activities.  

His proposal to the Japanese Government to celebrate an International Year of Volunteers was thus directly linked to his own experience after the earthquake. The Government of Japan then proposed, and the General Assembly decided, in 1997 to celebrate the year in recognition of the contribution and potentials of volunteers. 

The International Year of Volunteers was thus celebrated in 2001 and played a major role in highlighting the contribution of countless young, and not so young, dedicated people who devote themselves selflessly in solidarity to the cause of development and peace.  As we are starting to plan how to celebrate the ten-year anniversary, in 2011, we know we can count on the continued commitment to Mr Nakata and the Government of Japan, to ensure that the message of volunteerism continues to be heard.

Mr Nakata’s actions were not limited only to missions and speaking engagements.  Through the UNV programme, Mr Nakata financially supported the disadvantaged children of Hoa Sua Vocational School in Ha Noi in Viet Nam.  Mr Nakata’s generous donation to a project in Rwanda also helped women affected by civil conflict to improve their lives through income generating activities.

Back in his own community in Kobe, Mr Nakata is a dedicated volunteer himself.  He has been serving as a volunteer mediator for the local court and has been teaching about volunteerism at local universities.  

I particularly value his commitments to the well-being of his own community as a volunteer, because this is what UNV has been long promoting as part of its mandate.

I cannot list all of Mr Nakata’s achievements as UNV Honorary Ambassador and as a volunteer.

However, please allow me to take this opportunity, also on behalf of more than 7,500 UNV volunteers and colleagues in our headquarters in Germany, and our offices in New York and Tokyo, to express our heartfelt thanks to Mr Nakata for being a source of inspiration for tens of thousands of volunteers and future volunteers worldwide.  

My appreciation also goes to his wife Keiko  who has supported her husband to carry out his duties of UNV Honorary Ambassador.

His decision to retire from the position of UNV Honorary Ambassador was made earlier this year and was received with shock and sadness by the many people who know him. 

However, with deep gratitude for his achievements and contributions to the work of UNV, the UNV programme would like to respect his noble decision.  We know that, even if Mr Nakata decided to retire from his active duty as Honorary Ambassador, he will continue to carry the values of volunteerism deep in his heart, and continue to be a source of inspiration for us all.

I would, however, like to stress that UNV is not yet ready to bid farewell to Mr Nakata.

With his kind acceptance, it is my great pleasure to announce that UNV will grant him the status of ‘Honorary Ambassador (retired)’ so that we too can continue to count on his support to promote volunteerism.

Taking this opportunity, I would also like to express our sincere appreciation to the Government of Japan, whose continued support allows UNV to carry out its mission.

Starting even before the International Year of Volunteers, Japan has been a significant political and financial supporter of UNV.  We are particularly appreciative of the recognition given by the Japanese Government to the work of Mr Nakata, who received the Japanese Foreign Minister’s Certification of Commendation for 2006, on behalf of UNV.

With continued support of Mr Nakata and people like him, UNV will continue to be an organization that promotes world development and peace through volunteerism.

And we will have a number of opportunities to demonstrate the power of volunteerism, starting with the forthcoming Tokyo International Conference on African Development IV (TICAD IV) in May.  We now have about 100 Japanese UNV volunteers per year serving in various parts of the world.  And many of them were inspired by the story of Atsu.  The story of his dedication as a volunteer laid a seed for the future growth of volunteerism in Japan.

Dear Mr. Nakata, I am confident that, just as you remain so rightly proud of your son Atsu, Atsu would equally be very proud of you, his devoted father, for both father and son have done so much to inspire others to voluntary action. From today, we will enter a new form of partnership, which I believe will equally be important for the work of UNV.  As a token of appreciation and a symbol of our continued partnership, UNV will present to you a small gift in recognition of all you have done for the cause of volunteering, we all believe in.  

Thank you, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen for sharing this important moment with us.

*Flavia Pansieri is the Executive Coordinator of the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme.