From May 19 to 21, 2023, during the G7 Hiroshima Summit, our Executive Director, Mr. Nagai, participated as a speaker in the official event “Next Generation Peace Symposium.”

The symposium brought together the partners of G7 leaders, and featured opening remarks by Ms. Yuko Kishida, spouse of the Prime Minister of Japan, as well as a speech by Dr. Jill Biden, First Lady of the United States. In this distinguished setting, Mr. Nagai took the stage as the representative of a Japanese organization actively engaged in practical efforts toward international peace.

The theme of the day was “Once Again, Thinking About Peace—from Japan, from Hiroshima.”

Hiroshima, as well as Japan, has long been regarded as a symbol of a shift toward peace. With this in mind, participants reflected together on what such a shift truly means.

In the field of our work, we emphasize the importance of recognizing young people—even those who have been forced to join armed groups—as youth first and foremost. Young people inherently hold unlimited potential, and this potential remains true regardless of the circumstances in which they find themselves.

If young people who have long been perceived as a problem can instead be empowered to become agents of positive change, how profoundly might the world be transformed?

We believe it is necessary to make this vision a reality in the very frontlines of terrorism and armed conflict. To that end, we are working to establish international norms for youth and to create a language that acknowledges and protects them.

We do not know yet if it can be done. But we do know that it must be done. And because it must, we will act.

From Japan, we are determined to help realize this shift toward peace.

Accept International will continue to support young people—who hold infinite potential—as they shift into roles that drive social transformation, and to strive toward the genuine realization of a peaceful world free from terrorism and armed conflict.