In October 2024, Professor Maiko Ichihara (Hitotsubashi University Graduate School of Law) participated in a roundtable discussion with Mr. Masaaki Ohashi (Advisor, Japan NGO Center for International Cooperation (JANIC)), Mr. Shigemi Ando (Director, International Cooperation Bureau, Ministry of Foreign Affairs), Mr. Masaya Onimaru (President, JANIC; Founder, Terra Renaissance, a certified nonprofit organization), and Ms. Kaoru Nemoto (Director, United Nations Information Center). In March 2025, the discussion was published as “The Various Issues of Multilateralism Today and the Role of Each Sector,” in THINK Lobby Journal (Vol. 3).

Regarding the Future Summit held at the headquarters in September 2024, Professor Ichihara stated that while it is encouraging that the UN has shown its commitment to the SDGs, there is a limitation of the UN that it cannot mention the importance of civil liberties, and other forms of supplementation are needed. The politicization of various types of aid in developing countries is evident, and one of the factors contributing to this is the ongoing populism in each country. The professor emphasizes the necessity of overcoming populism and the importance of non-politicization of aid in each country through further discussions and deliberations.

https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/thinklobbyjournal/3/0/3_3/_html/-char/ja