NEWS
PRESS CONFERENCE “Civil Society’s Concerns For the G-20 Summit”
On June 28-29, nearly 30 world leaders gather in Osaka for the Group of Twenty (G-20) Leaders’ Summit. In advance of that, civil society organizations in Japan and abroad advising the G20 meet in Tokyo from April 21-23 for the Civil 20 (Civil Society 20) meeting to hammer out their recommendations which will presented to the Japanese government.
With crackdowns, sometimes violent, on civil society groups worldwide, worries about possible in Osaka are growing, especially in the wake of local media reports about police drills to combat “terrorism”. In the Asian region, fears are that civil society groups are becoming increasingly politically marginalized and ignored, especially at multilateral meetings like the G20.Data privacy is issue expected to be raised at the G20 meeting. In addition, following a speech by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the World Economic Forum in January, Japan plans discuss better worldwide management of the digital economy. That has prompted worldwide fears about Big Brother and the free and equitable flow of information. Japanese and civil society groups have specific recommendations for the digital economy, which they will present.
To learn how civil society organizations view Japan’s leadership of the G20 process, what their top issues of concern are, and what recommendations they’ll make at C20, please join us for a press conference with Yuka Iwatsuki, C20 chair, Atsuko Miwa, C20 Co-Chair, and Masaki Inaba, who serves as the C20 sherpa. Also attending and available to answer questions will be Valeria Milanes, of the Argentina-based Association of Civil Rights, and Natasha Matic, of the King Khan Foundation in Saudi Arabia.
| Date & Time | Thursday, April 18, 2019, 14:00 – 15:00 Doors open for TV crew at 13:15, for all others at 13:30, still cameras included. |
| Venue | The Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan |
| Registration | Please reserve in advance, 3211-3161 or on the FCCJ’s website (still & TV cameras inclusive). Reservations and cancellations are not complete without confirmation. |
| Language | The speech and Q & A will be in Japanese with English interpretation. |
| Speakers |
Yuka Iwatsuki, C20 Chair & President of Action against Child Exploitation |
| Organized by |
the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan |