Prof. Shun-ichi Murata, Kwansei Gakuin Univesity

Prof. Murata started to work at UNDP in 1981. He assumed various positions at UNDP representative offices in Uganda, Ethiopia, Sudan, China, Mongolia, and the Philippines, before serving as a UNDP Resident Representative and UN Resident Coordinator in Bhutan from April 1999. In 2002, he was appointed to become a Professor for School of Policy Studies, Kwansei Gakuin University. Also, in 2004, he held another position as a Director/Faculty Chair, Research Centre for International Human Development at the university. He is specialised in conflict issues and related aid policies in developing countries. In November 2006, he returned to UNDP to become a Director/Representative of UNDP Tokyo Office, before serving as a Deputy Executive Secretary of United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) in July 2011. Upon completion of UNDP and UN/ESCAP assignments, he returned to Kwansei Gakuin University in the fall semester, 2015 and served as a Special Visiting Professor, School of Policy Studies, before taking his current positions as a Professor for School of Policy Studies and Dean of the UN and Foreign Affairs Studies Programme at the university from April 2016.

ILO and myself

It was in the early 1980s in Uganda, where I started my career at UNDP and encountered ILO for the first time. There was a vocational training project jointly operated by ILO and UNDP. Although the primary target of the project was orphans, I was impressed that some people with disabilities were also included as trainees and I was reminded of the organisational value of ILO that respects inclusion. In the early 1990s, I had another opportunity to work with ILO in Mongolia, where I served as a Deputy Resident Representative of UNDP. It was just after the dissolution of the Soviet Union and there was a severe shortage of goods, while the temperature was reaching minus 40℃. Under such extremely difficult conditions I worked for a project in partnership with ILO on the establishment of a social safety net. I also worked with ILO in the Philippines for post-conflict recovery of Mindanao Island. I am not afraid of facing troubles, and as such, my personality has brought me to work for country operations in life-threatening situations. Indeed, I have suffered from malaria four times, yet, I am confident to say that I have come to like people even more than before after many years of dedication to such difficult jobs. I am honoured to have worked with ILO and have built trustable relationships with members of the organization based on my long-standing empathy with the mission of ILO.

Friends of ILO

From the perspective of labour, ILO has focused on vulnerable people in unprivileged situations in society. Although the organization has worked on critically important issues such as gender, people with disabilities, and human rights throughout the long history of 100 years, I have the impression that ILO and its activities are fairly invisible and their organizational character may seem rather low-key. I, therefore, would like to suggest ILO to make influential partnerships with those who sympathize with and wish to advocate the long-standing mission of the organization. The comparative advantage of ILO would be firmly maintained through mobilization of such partners and enhancement of its operation and marketing. A wide range of labour-related issues have become significantly evident due to the increase of people’s movement in recent world events. In order to advance the rule of law and establish a social safety net, while critically observing the mobility of human capital in rapidly changing situations, it would be crucial for ILO to involve youths who will lead society in the future. I think one option would be to mobilize youths who sympathize with the mission of ILO, and establish a network of “Friends of ILO” by utilising social media for instance.
 

Future of International organizations, and expectations for ILO

Under the rise of some advanced countries with conservative policies, multilateral aid is now facing a crisis. In such circumstances, aid coordination, especially partnerships between multilateral and bilateral aid and enhancement of cooperative relations with civil society and municipalities would be required. While each state has a primary responsibility to protect its citizens, global issues cannot be addressed unless the entire international society works together in a harmonious manner. The strength of international organizations lie in their authority, ability to promote international coordination through the establishment of international norms and ability to work on global issues in partnership with civil society and businesses. In order to advance social justice, building partnerships with municipalities would be particularly imperative, given their proximity to people’s lives and wide range of services. Yet, ILO may need to change its management structure to effectively implement projects with municipalities. More specifically, greater authority should be given to regional and national offices that plan and execute projects in the field. Japan has been one of the largest financial contributors for ILO, and I expect that new partnerships with municipalities will be established in projects funded by Japan.
The above-mentioned challenges cannot be addressed without securing talented human resources. It’s never been an easy task to coordinate project management involving many countries and different actors well. To work in developing countries, it is essential to be physically fit and in good health, and to have diligence and an optimistic personality. In addition, analytical skills, an active spirit, adaptability, creativity, and resilience are some of the desirable competencies in this increasingly diverse international society. Furthermore, a high level of English proficiency is necessary to be able to swiftly analyse problems and suggest a roadmap for solutions while respecting the spirit of teamwork. When being assigned to developing countries, many personnel have mixed feelings of anxiety, excitement and expectation. In ensuring they acquire such competencies and strengthen them, training and mentoring should be enriched further with more emphasis. I hope that ILO will take thorough measures to develop many more talented human resources, recognising it as a mandate of the entire organization.  
The culture of international organizations including ILO is in the process of a transformation from being reactive and bureaucratic to being proactive and speedy, while building new partnerships with an opportunity-driven mindset. I expect ILO, in the year of its 100th anniversary, to lead such organizational reforms and keep evolving even further towards the advancement of social justice for all.