First Person: Japanese UN volunteer ‘motivated by the passion of others’ to support peace

Haruki Ume spoke to UN Information on the UN Pavilion at Expo 2025 presently being held within the Japanese metropolis of Osaka.

One part of the pavilion contains a rotating presentation specializing in a particular UN company or entity and not too long ago, consideration turned to the UN Volunteers programme.

“As a 17-year-old, I travelled to the USA on an academic change programme and my fundamental motivation was to play baseball and expertise American tradition.

I met quite a lot of different folks from Africa and Asia in addition to Europe and I used to be shocked after which impressed by their ardour and motivation to assist their villages and communities again house.

One boy from Azerbaijan advised me he was chosen for the change from over 100 candidates as the one pupil from his nation. Because of this, he stated that he had a accountability to not waste his time and signify all these different candidates and his nation to the most effective of his potential.

It was at this second that I made a decision that I wished to contribute extra to society and so I began finding out improvement points. I travelled as a lot as I might throughout my holidays, to locations like Cambodia, the Philippines, India, Peru, Egypt and Uganda.

As a volunteer, I supported schooling and different initiatives throughout the discipline missions and was actually pushed by serving to individuals who had been much less lucky than I.  I additionally learnt so much from these folks, so I undoubtedly valued it an change of experiences and data.

Understanding the surface world

I used to be raised in a small city in rural Japan the place there have been no foreigners. Individuals develop up, work and die there and many don’t ever expertise international cultures or actually perceive the surface world.

A UN Volunteers workers member explains the function of the group to guests on the UN Pavilion.

I keep in mind being nervous about talking English and consuming meals that I used to be not used to, however I used to be eager to interrupt by these private boundaries and broaden my world.

Being open to new experiences has made it simpler to adapt to different cultures and this understanding promotes peace and friendship and finally worldwide cooperation.

I’ve been working on the UN Pavilion at Expo 2025 to advertise the UN and the work of UN Volunteers. I’m doing this within the spirit of constructing cooperation and creating constructive change on the planet.

Expo 2025 is bringing the world to Osaka and is offering the chance for Japanese folks to debate how we are able to work collectively extra successfully to create a fairer and extra peaceable world.”