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Commemorative Lecture Meeting for the Establishment of the D&I Promotion Declaration: Opening Ceremony, Report on the First Commemorative Lecture

Opening Ceremony of the Commemorative Lecture for the Establishment of the "Hokkaido University Diversity & Inclusion Promotion Declaration"

　　[Date and time] December 10, 2021 (Friday) 18:00-18:20
　　[Opening Remarks] Junji Yamaguchi, Executive Director, Vice President, and Director of Human Resources Development, Hokkaido University
　　[Ceremonial Address] Kiyohiro Hokin, President of Hokkaido University
　　[Moderator] Rika Yano, Director, Diversity Research Environment Promotion Office, Human Resources Development Headquarters, Hokkaido University

On December 1, 2021, Hokkaido University established a system based on coexistence and symbiosis with diverse people in order to contribute to the sustainable development of the world and the region.Hokkaido University Diversity & Inclusion Promotion Declarationhas been announced.
To commemorate this, we held a series of lectures on "gender, sexuality, ethnic coexistence, and universal campus design," which are important themes for promoting diversity and inclusion at universities.
　　

　　　　Junji Yamaguchi, Executive Director and Vice President of Hokkaido University, delivers the opening address.

The opening ceremony for the commemorative lecture meeting for the establishment of the "Hokkaido University Diversity & Inclusion Promotion Declaration" was broadcast live from the university's Academic Exchange Hall on the 10th of the same month (Friday).
In his opening remarks, Executive Director, Vice President, and Head of Human Resources Development, Junji Yamaguchi, explained that this lecture was being held with the aim of deepening understanding of the current situation and the issues at hand, not only among members of the university community but also among people from the local area.
　

　　 　　Kiyohiro Takaragi, President of Hokkaido University, delivers a speech at the ceremony.

In his opening remarks, President Kiyohiro Takaragi stated that the declaration, based on the SDGs principle of leaving no one behind, embraces and includes not only gender equality but also various forms of diversity, and that Hokkaido University will implement these measures until March 2022.An opportunity for each individual to pause and reflect on diversity.He said that he hopes this will be an opportunity for many people to realize whether they can live authentically as themselves, and that there are people who cannot live authentically as themselves.

First Commemorative Lecture: Universities and Ethnicity

　　[Date and time] August 10, 2021 (Friday) 18:30-20:00
　　[Lecture Title] Universities in the Age of Globalization: Aiming for a Coexistent Society Where Differences Are Accepted
　　[Speaker] Ousbi Sako, President of Kyoto Seika University
　　[Interviewer] Koji Yuki, Representative of Ainu Art Project
　　[Moderator] Hirofumi Kato, Director, Center for Ainu and Indigenous Studies, Hokkaido University

Following the opening ceremony, Professor Ousbi Sako, President of Kyoto Seika University, delivered a lecture online.
　

　　　　　　　　Ousbi Sako, President of Kyoto Seika University

President Sako, originally from Mali, said that she first became aware of "race" while studying in China, but she didn't feel much stress because she could freely express her opinions. However, when she came to Japan, she found it difficult to live as a Muslim, and when teaching at the university, she felt that there is a culture that tries to confine foreigners to a certain framework and judge them only within that framework, and that this starts from early childhood education.
In our information-driven society, the era of living solely within the culture we were born into is over. People from all countries are involved in our lives and work, and we can no longer live solely by the common sense of our own country. To become a true global citizen, it starts with understanding the "different cultures" around us. In a world without clear answers and uncertain social situations, what is important is not just logical answers, but the courage to arrive at "questions" and redefine them. That was the message I received.
　
Next, we held a dialogue moderated by Mr. Hirofumi Kato, Director of the Ainu and Indigenous Studies Center at our university, with Mr. Koji Yuki, representative of the Ainu Art Project, as the interviewer.
　

(From right) Koji Yuki, Representative of the Ainu Art Project, and Hirofumi Kato, Director of the Ainu and Indigenous Studies Center, Hokkaido University.

President Sako explained that for Seika University, his appointment as president is not the end goal, but rather the beginning of diversity promotion. He emphasized that universities are not nations, but places of free intellect, and that it is important to get to know each other in an inclusive environment and create a new society. He also said that universities are places where one can reaffirm their own identity and disseminate information by being exposed to different cultures.
Professor Kato taught me that diversity isn't just about interacting with countries across the sea, but that there's actually a lot of it right here in our own backyard, and that in Japan, we've had a history of suppressing that diversity.
Ms. Yuki explained that most place names in Hokkaido have Ainu origins, but many people who live there are unaware of this, and she wants people to know the true meaning of the place where they live.
Ms. Yuki emphasized that it is important for students to experience art in their daily lives, both in terms of the university being a place to learn about humanity and in order to help people understand contemporary Ainu culture. She hoped that students would learn the sense of building a society through art, a field that transcends racial and ethnic barriers.
Thank you very much to President Sako, Mr. Yuki, Professor Kato, and everyone who watched.

Report on the Commemorative Lecture Meeting for the Establishment of the "Hokkaido University Diversity & Inclusion Promotion Declaration"

Second Commemorative Lecture
Third Commemorative Lecture
4th Commemorative Lecture and Closing Ceremony

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