Three Sylff fellows at Ruhr University Bochum (RUB), Germany, convened a two-day international conference on “Forced Migration in Transition: Perspectives from Social Science and Law” in November 2019. The fellows—Benedikt Behlert, Corinna Land, and Robin Ramshahye—have different disciplinary backgrounds but share a research interest in forced migration. The Sylff program at RUB encourages an interdisciplinary approach and is called Sylff Mikrokolleg.

All participants, including members of the audience, engaged in active dialogue.

The four sessions of the conference focused on the “Transition of Concepts,” “Transition of Perspectives,” “Transition of Law,” and “Transition of Civic Spaces” and sought to elucidate the dynamics of migration in a global context. People leave their homes for various reasons, such as to escape armed conflict, environmental degradation, and economic hardship. Migrants are not necessarily passive victims but often make strategic decisions to leave in search of a better life for themselves and their families.

Ending remarks by the three Bochum fellows (from left, Robin Ramshahye, Corinna Land, and Benedikt Behlert).

The three fellows organized all aspects of the conference, from carefully developing the program and choosing session topics that would attract a broad audience to inviting panelists from different countries, securing funding, renting the venue, arranging for the catering of food and drinks, and even cleaning up after the event! They also moderated the sessions, encouraging active dialogue among the more than 50 participants.

The Sylff Association secretariat is very proud of the commitment the fellows showed in convening this conference and congratulates them on the success of this worthy initiative.

Nomingerel Davaadorj, a Sylff fellowship recipient in 2010 while attending the National Academy of Governance, Mongolia, visited the Sylff Association secretariat in Tokyo on Thursday, September 12, 2019.

Davaadorj, standing second from left, during her visit to the Sylff Association secretariat.

 Davaadorj has been doing research at Japan’s Kyushu University as a master’s student in law. Her research title is "Mine closure regulations and it's socio-economic aspects: a comparative study between Australia and Mongolia". She has just defended her master’s thesis and will return to Mongolia after spending two years in Japan.

She will resume her career as a legal officer at a government agency in Mongolia with responsibilities for government procurements and state property management. She looks forward to reuniting with her family and friends in Mongolia.

During her stay in Japan, Davaadorj participated in the first Sylff Leaders Workshop 2018–19. She contributed to the topic of the “Future of Food Production in 2030” with insights into local foods in Mongolia. 

We wish her much success and excitement in her home country.

Sylff was first established in China in 1992, and five Chinese universities celebrated the program’s twenty-fifth anniversary in 2018. In 2019, four more universities—Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, Chongqing, and Yunnan—which joined Sylff in 1994, also held their twenty-fifth anniversary ceremonies. These four universities were selected as Sylff institutions with the aim of selecting not only the best-known universities in the country but also those promoting ethnic diversity.

The celebrations began in June in northern China at Xinjiang University and Inner Mongolia University. The delegation from Japan visiting the two schools was led by Nippon Foundation and Sylff Association Chairman Yohei Sasakawa and included members of the Tokyo Foundation for Policy Research (Sylff Association secretariat) and the China Education Association for International Exchange.

Xinjiang University holds the largest number of Uyghur students in China and is committed to serving the needs of the regional community, respecting ethnic diversity, and advancing a dynamic international strategy. This year also marks the ninety-fifth anniversary of the university’s founding.

Sylff Association Chairman Yohei Sasakawa speaks with Xinjiang fellows during a luncheon reception.

The anniversary event at Inner Mongolia University on June 12 featured a donation ceremony for the Ryoichi Sasakawa Memorial Library, to which over 6,000 books have been donated since its establishment in 2010. After the ceremony, Mr. Sasakawa held a group interview with members of the local media. One of the journalists, it turned out, was a Sylff fellowship recipient when she was studying for a master’s degree at Inner Mongolia University.

Mr. Sasakawa is interviewed by local reporters.

One of the journalists, who was a Sylff fellow at Inner Mongolia University, poses in traditional Mongol dress for a commemorative photo with Mr. Sasakawa.

Events in southwestern China, meanwhile, were held in September, starting with a meeting of Chinese Sylff administrators on September 22 at Chongqing University. Administrators from all 10 Sylff universities in China (Fudan, Jilin, Lanzhou, Nanjing, Peking, Chongqing, Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang, Yunnan, and Sun Yat-sen) gathered to discuss concrete plans to focus Sylff funds on a smaller number of select fellows. Ten fellows who were selected in 2019 from the 10 universities were invited to speak about their research activities and gave inspiring presentations to meeting participants.

Participants of the Sylff administrators’ meeting at Chongqing University.

Chongqing University is also marking its ninetieth anniversary this year. “It’s a great honor to celebrate Sylff’s twenty-fifth anniversary at Chongqing in this very special year,” as Mr. Sasakawa noted at the ceremony on September 23. “Seeing how successfully the program has unfolded at the university, I feel very proud that we asked Chongqing University to join our Sylff community two decades ago. I hope that everyone here will work toward a brighter future for all, no matter what difficulties you may encounter along the way.”

Mr. Sasakawa’s remarks at Chongqing were greeted with warm applause.

The September 25 anniversary celebration at Yunnan University was attended by over 200 participants. Yunnan fellow Liu Guoqian, who received a fellowship in 2007 and whose wife was also a fellowship recipient, made a speech during the ceremony, inviting laughter when he jokingly noted, “Thanks to Sylff, I was able to find not only my career path but also my life partner!”

The ceremony hall was filled with over 200 participants.

Yunnan fellow Liu Guoqian makes a speech during the ceremony.

The Sylff Association Secretariat is pleased to announce two recent recipients of a Sylff Leadership Initiatives (SLI) award. SLI supports Sylff fellows’ initiatives to change society for the better with awards of up to US$10,000.

The two winners, chosen from among many applicants, are Mulatu Alemayehu Moges and Bruno Pegorari.

Mulatu Moges

After completing a PhD at the University of Oslo, where he was a Sylff fellow, Mulatu Moges joined the faculty of Addis Ababa University, where he is currently an assistant professor in the School of Journalism and Communication.

He will use the SLI grant to conduct capacity-building workshops for journalists in Ethiopia, which in May 2020 will hold its first national election under the administration of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, recipient of the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize.

The media will play a crucial role in ensuring a free and democratic election by providing citizens with unbiased information and by promoting people’s active participation in the electoral process.

Bruno Pegorari

Bruno Pegorari completed his master’s degree at the University of São Paulo, where he received a Sylff fellowship, and is currently a PhD candidate in the Faculty of Law, University of New South Wales.

His research and social-action initiatives focus on the issue on land rights of indigenous people in Brazil, who were forced to leave their homes by a judicial decision. He has been working continuously on this issue since 2016 with the aim of negotiating a nonviolent settlement through the application of international law.

The Sylff Association Secretariat is excited about helping fellows put their enthusiasm and ideas into action for the betterment of society. Congratulations to both recipients on winning the award. The two projects will be carried out over the coming months, and reports will be posted on this website.

We are looking forward to supporting many more social initiatives that can lead to positive change in society.

Anna-Liis Sutt, a current Sylff fellowship recipient at Utrecht University, visited the Sylff Association secretariat in Tokyo on August 20, 2019. Having just earned a bachelor’s degree in economics at Utrecht, she was visiting Japan for the first time before beginning her master’s program at the Utrecht University School of Economics in the fall.

Sutt, standing second from right, during her visit to the Sylff Association secretariat.

During the two-year master’s program, Sutt is interested in investigating allegations of money laundering by EU financial institutions from a legal perspective. It is a topical theme that, she feels, is under-researched.

Sutt was born in Estonia and grew up in the United States and Luxemburg. She thrives in the international atmosphere of student life at Utrecht. As an undergraduate student, Sutt represented international students in the student council and made certain that their views were reflected in university decisions and regulations.

She hopes to continue to represent student groups as a graduate student. In the future, Sutt is interested in working in the public sector for such organizations as the International Monetary Fund. We wish her success at Utrecht in both her academic and social-oriented activities.

Didzis Klavins, a Sylff fellowship recipient in 2012 while attending the University of Latvia, visited the Sylff Association secretariat in Tokyo on August 12, 2019. He is currently a Senior Researcher at the University of Latvia.

Didzis Klavins, right, with Tomoko Yamada of the Sylff Association secretariat.

Visiting Japan for the first time, Klavins attended the International Conference on Global Risk, Security, and Ethnicity, co-organized by the International Political Science Association and Nagasaki University. As a panelist for a session on “Emerging Technologies and New Perspectives on Risk and Security,” he made a presentation on “The Relationship of Innovation Diplomacy and Security in the Nordic and Baltic Countries.”

His academic interests include diplomacy, international organizations, and international relations, especially in the Baltic and Scandinavian countries. He is currently involved in a three-year research project funded by the EU that is examining the relationship between innovation diplomacy and security in those countries. The project involves several professors at different universities in the EU and focuses on three major subjects: diaspora diplomacy, innovation diplomacy, and digital diplomacy.

Klavins is actively engaged in researching these topics as well as in teaching at University of Latvia. We were happy to meet him in Tokyo and wish him much success in his academic pursuits.

The Sylff Association Secretariat is pleased to share news that Chika Ezeanya-Esiobu, a 2009–2011 PhD Sylff fellow at Howard University, has been named one of the world’s 100 Most Influential People of African Descent (MIPAD) in the category of “Religious and Humanitarian” in 2019.

Chika Ezeanya-Esiobu

MIPAD’s mission is “to recognize the positive contributions made by people of African descent, worldwide” and to “build a progressive global network of civil society actors to join together and support the implementation of the International Decade for People of African Descent, 2015–2024, as proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 68/237 and now officially recognized by the African Union (AU).”

Ezeanya-Esiobu completed her PhD degree in African Development and Policy Studies at Howard University in 2011 before joining the faculty of the University of Rwanda, where she is currently a senior lecturer/researcher. As a Sylff fellow, she organized a workshop on leadership and character development for young Rwandans in 2016, funded by Sylff Leadership Initiatives (SLI).

She recently published Education and Indigenous Knowledge in Africa with the support of the International Development Research Center Canada, an open access book that has been very well received across universities and colleges in Africa. She is also being recognized beyond academia, appearing on a TED talk on “How Africa Can Use Its Traditional Knowledge to Make Progress.”

Congratulations on being named an influential global leader, and we wish her even greater success in her future endeavors.

Mio Morimoto, who was awarded a Sylff fellowship in 2019 by Waseda University, visited the Sylff Association secretariat on August 2. She is currently pursuing a PhD in educational development, and the theme of her dissertation is “Parental Involvement and Child Learning in Developing Countries: A Case Study on Elementary Education in India.”

She hopes to contribute to the improvement of basic education in developing countries, which she thinks is most important in enabling children to survive and rise above a difficult environment.

Morimoto, seated center, with Sylff Association secretariat members.

After completing her undergraduate studies at Waseda, she worked at the Kumon Institution of Education for about three years.

While continuing her doctoral research at Waseda University, she is visiting India for the sixth time between September and December 2019 for an internship at the UNICEF office in New Delhi, where she also hopes to gather data and network with local school officials and researchers. She feels that field work is very important in learning about key elementary education issues in India.

She has expressed her wish to apply for a Sylff Research Abroad grant so she can visit India again and network with Sylff fellows from Jadavpur University and Jawaharlal Nehru University. The Sylff Association secretariat looks forward to hearing from her and hopes that she will take full advantage of the various support programs and the global Sylff network to achieve her professional goals.

Grant Morris, a 1999–2000 PhD Sylff fellow at the University of Waikato in New Zealand, visited the Sylff Association Secretariat in Tokyo on Wednesday, July 10, 2019. He has been working at the Victoria University of Wellington since 2002, where he is currently an associate professor in law.

Grant (center) in conversation with the members of the Sylff Association secretariat

His main research areas are mediation, negotiation, and legal history, and he recently co-authored Mediation in New Zealand (Thomson Reuters, 2018), the first comprehensive scholarly treatment of mediation in the country. 

Morris was on his second visit to Tokyo after a 16-year hiatus, accompanying the New Zealand team that participated in the International Negotiation Competition, held at Sophia University in Tokyo. He was the coach of the NZ team, comprising students at his university, which placed sixth overall (with “trans-Tasman rivals” Australia coming in first).

After the competition he visited Kyoto, traveling from Tokyo by Shinkansen, which, he says “was the fastest and most efficient train I have ever travelled on!” In Kyoto he visited the new International Mediation Center, located at Doshisha University.

We are very pleased that he also dropped by the Sylff Association Secretariat, giving us a chance to introduce the many opportunities for additional support available for Sylff fellows. “It was great to visit the team at Sylff and discuss current projects. There is a lot of very exciting work being done,” he said.

Grant, center in the first row, during his visit to the Sylff Association secretariat

To our pleasant surprise, we also learned during our conversation that he has very strong links to the Sylff community. His wife was a Sylff fellow at the Victoria University of Wellington, and one of his students, Jennifer Moore, was also a fellow who recently received an SLI grant to improve medical injury responses.

We hope that he will come back to Tokyo often to strengthen his ties with the Association.