[Title] Statement by Minister of Foreign Affairs KAMIKAWA Yoko At WPS Focal Points Network High-Level Side Event

- It has been about a year since I participated in this meeting last time, immediately after my appointment as Foreign Minister. Since then, I have positioned the WPS agenda as one of the main pillars of Japan's foreign policy, and have been working on three areas.

- First, we developed an organizational framework. I established a cross-organizational task force within the Ministry, and expanded our cooperation with related ministries and agencies, such as the Ministry of Defense and the Fire and Disaster Management Agency. Our cooperation with civil society and the WPS Parliamentarians' Network Japan has also been strengthened.

- Second, I incorporated WPS perspectives into our foreign policy, and made references to WPS in over one-hundred and fifty bilateral and multilateral occasions, to call for international cooperation. Particularly in June, Accord on Support for Ukraine and Cooperation was signed, which clearly states that the WPS perspective would be incorporated into all future humanitarian and reconstruction assistance. TICAD Ministerial Meeting in August confirmed the importance of the role of WPS and the perspectives of women and youths. We have also announced a regional diplomatic initiatives toward Nordic countries as well as Latin America and the Caribbean, taking WPS into account.

- Third is expansion of international network to elevate WPS to the next level. To do so, I have launched a policy forum titled "WPS + Innovation," in which I exchanged opinions with various stakeholders, including not only diplomats and international cooperation officials, but also private sector, local council members and academia, to discuss ways to make the most of women's participation and leadership for sustainable peace and stability.

- Through these initiatives, I have come to realize the importance of connecting dots of good practices of each country, sharing and expanding those to the cooperation around the world.

- The Focal Points Network is an indispensable forum for sharing such best practices, encouraging cooperation between countries, and promoting the WPS agenda. As 2025 will mark the 25th anniversary of the landmark Resolution 1325, expectations to this Network are greater than ever.

- In this commemorative year, and in order to further promote the WPS agenda together with the Network member countries building on the efforts made to date, Japan, together with Norway, intends to serve as co- chair of the Network in 2025.

- As the aggression to Ukraine still continues and dire situation in Gaza is worthening day by day, efforts to advance the WPS agenda are becoming more important than ever. From expanding the role of women in peace-building, applying the concept of WPS to new fields such as DRR, adopting measures to ensure greater participation by women, to addressing the importance of formulating and implementing action plans to turn these ideas into concrete actions, there are many issues we can work on together.

- We will present our specific vision as Co-Chair at the WPS Week in October to all the Network members. Meanwhile, I would like to take this opportunity to announce that the Focal Points Network Capital- Level Meeting will be held in Tokyo from 4th to 6th February next year. I look forward to welcoming you in Tokyo.

- Lastly, I would also like to take this occasion to express my gratitude to the United States, Romania, Switzerland and South Africa, who have led the Network as Leadership Quad in 2024.

- As we celebrate the 25th anniversary of the WPS, there is still much work to be done. Japan would like to work with Norway to further promote the WPS and strengthen international solidarity as we look ahead to the next 25 years. Let us accelerate the activities through the Focal Points Network.

- Thank you very much.