Japan is a dynamic contributor to global development and an advocate for democracy and the rule of law. It was only a matter of time before GCSP Alumni in and from Japan got together and formed the 23rd GCSP Alumni Community Hub, the first one in Asia. The meeting of the hub’s founding members took place on 31 March 2022.

These community hubs, with the support of GCSP Community Engagement, connect the GCSP network of professionals and provide a platform for dialogue and collaborative efforts. They seek to strengthen regional connections and support peace, stability and security.

Alumni can contact our Japanese hub on MyGCSP

A wide-ranging network of alumni-led hubs can be found across five continents. See their locations

Mr Jaroslav Krasny, the hub leader in Japan: “In 2022 the global community has witnessed the worst deterioration in international peace since the Second World War. Following the global COVID-19 pandemic, a major armed conflict broke out on the European continent. The GCSP Alumni Hub serves as an important junction for connecting with and meeting fellow GCSP Alumni. This kind of global networking is now more relevant than ever. Alumni working together in various areas ranging from international development to security, peace and control of new technologies represent the cornerstone of a global community possessing the necessary skills to influence and affect ongoing events. Working with the hub and the wider GCSP community, I would like to develop professional relationships with alumni from different backgrounds and with a variety of skills to facilitate the exchange of ideas and discussion of solutions to contemporary problems, and thus contribute to sustainable development, peace and regional security.”

Hub member Erico Sato: “The GCSP is among the world’s leading think tanks in the field of security studies, and it gave me access to a vibrant learning environment. The training and other activities I participated in were underpinned by a culture of diversity, inclusion and transparency that recognises the myriad identities, backgrounds and experiences of the course participants. In my view, the importance of the Alumni Community Hub Japan is to maintain such a culture within the existing group and expand it beyond this group.

The presence of the hub has a great potential to elevate the existing bilateral partnership between and encourage public diplomacy in both Switzerland and Japan. While its mission is still evolving, there is the potential to organise academic events that look at new security approaches in response to the profound transformation of the international security landscape that has taken place in recent years. In Africa, where I work at Conflict Management Consulting (CMC), a Brussels-based research consulting firm based in Kigali, Rwanda, I have noticed the distracting impact of dis/misinformation that is making it difficult for the general population to differentiate between facts and fake news. This has led to the eroding of trust in government. This happens in Japan and Asia too, but very little attention is paid to the problem.”

Japanese community members are based in Japan, in Kigali and in New York. This network from the country of the rising sun is the image of the GCSP’s truly global Alumni Community. For example, during a recent trip to New York, the GCSP’s Director, Ambassador Thomas Greminger, discussed emerging security challenges with Ms Ayaka Suzuki, Director of the Strategic Planning and Monitoring Unit in the Executive Office of the UN Secretary-General. Ms Suzuki is a Japanese alumna of the GCSP’s Senior Level Peacebuilding Course.

How to establish a GCSP Alumni Community Hub

To get started:

1. Contact GCSP Community Engagement ([email protected]) expressing your intention to open an Alumni Community Hub in your location.
2. Define what you see as your hub’s mission and goals. See guidelines to “lead a hub”.
3. Establishing the hub: Determine appropriate leadership positions and responsibilities.

• Establish the hub’s e-mail address and community page.
• Hold the first meeting.
• Define the hub’s annual action plan.

4. Gaining wider recognition:

• Promote the hub’s establishment and future activities to alumni, partners and any other parties who might be interested in its activities.