Kanae Doi, Japan Director of Human Rights Watch, facilitated this interactive discussion. After she introduced herself and her organization, each of the panelists introduced themselves and described their organizations’ roles in international aid and humanitarian work.

Aya Yamagata, a Senior Officer at Plan Japan, spoke about her work in northern Uganda in support of refugees from South Sudan, of which more than 85% were women and children. Keiko Kiyama, Director and Chief Operation Officer of JEN, an NGO involved in humanitarian emergency assistance, explained how boundaries become blurred; repercussions of conflicts spill across borders and need to be viewed as global issues, not just local ones.

Marina Mahathir, a writer and advocate for gender equality in Malaysia, said that the shared experiences of women the world over compel us to stand in solidarity with all women, including those in Gaza and other war-torn countries, because the entire world must change; it won’t happen in isolated pockets. Kaoru Nemoto, Director of the United Nations Information Center in Japan, shared data on the youth (1.7 billion in 18-24 age group) that must be given a voice now because the issues being discussed today, such as climate change and business development over the next few decades, will affect them the most.

Nemoto-san said her number one enemy is usually indifference. Today, however, she was encouraged by the active participation of the Conference attendees. She invited the audience to act now: get involved in Malala Day, Nelson Mandela Day, and other upcoming events this year and in 2015.