Page 15 - 80 YEARS OF VOLUNTEER IMPACT WITH FAO

Mr. Yoshikazu Ito

ONE OF THE FIRST UN VOLUNTEERS:

HOW THE 'GOOD WAR' SPARKED

A GREAT CALLING

I was working for the Irrigation Bureau of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Japan when
I was invited to speak at a symposium in Fukuoka. At the event, the Principal Officer gave me a
book entitled The Good War: the U.N.'s World-Wide Fight Against Poverty, Disease and Ignorance.
That chance encounter, in the summer of 1969, changed my life. It was the first step that led
me to become one of the first UN Volunteers, an opportunity that opened the door for a long
professional journey that spanned decades.
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North Yemen was emerging from civil war at that time. There was a lot of uncertainty yet a strong
need for reconstruction. My UN Volunteer assignment required that I develop water sources
for drinking and irrigation within desert areas. The development of water resources, especially
drinking water, was a crucial issue for the development of the region. I assessed infiltration water
using electrical prospecting, collected data and dug wells. During the engineering process, I also
trained government personnel in these techniques. We successfully delivered results across many
project sites.

The door that opened in 1969 allowed me to travel across Africa, Asia, the Pacific, Europe and Latin
America, working on development projects first with UNDP but then through organizations such
as OECF, FAO or JICA, among others. That first UN Volunteer experience in North Yemen proved
invaluable in other conflict areas such as Afghanistan, Angola, Bosnia and Herzegovina and
Eritrea. I carried it with me every step of the way.

“Looking back to those years, I realise that since serving as a UN Volunteer

with UNDP, I have not only met countless dedicated people, including
other UN Volunteers who remain forever engraved in my memory, but
I have worked with them on four continents to build life-supporting

infrastructure and improving lives. That, is the good war.”