East-West Center and Japan Foundation Launch New ‘Indo-Pacific Leadership Lab’ Program

Applications are open through July 30 for the exchange program’s inaugural cohort focusing on climate, which will include visits to Honolulu, Tokyo, and Fiji along with a year of individual and collaborative remote activities

HONOLULU (June 30, 2023)—The East-West Center and the Japan Foundation have jointly launched a new annual international leadership-development initiative, titled the “Indo-Pacific Leadership Lab.” The program is designed to offer rising leaders from Japan, the United States, South and Southeast Asia, and Oceania a year-long “deep dive” into the region’s biggest issues, with the focus theme changing for each year’s cohort of 16 participants.

The theme for the first cohort of the program, which will begin later this year, is “Climate Change and Adaptation.”

Applications are now open through July 30 for the program, which will include visits to Honolulu, Tokyo, and Suva, Fiji, in addition to a wide range of remote activities that participants will complete individually and collaboratively. Over the course of the program, participants will outline shared threats to the region posed by climate change, identify barriers to effective leadership on this issue, co-create solutions and test them in real-world settings, and address challenges to implementation.

“As President Biden and Prime Minister Kishida have emphasized, Japan and the US have an important role to play together in fostering emerging leaders from throughout our region to tackle the kind of unprecedented global challenges we face today,” said East-West Center President Suzanne Vares-Lum. “I cannot imagine a better partner to have than the Japan Foundation in launching this dynamic new Indo-Pacific Leadership Lab program to help accomplish that goal.”

"The Indo-Pacific region is at a critical juncture, calling for collective action and collaboration,” said Japan Foundation President Kazuyoshi Umemoto. “We are honored to partner with East-West Center on this important Indo-Pacific Leadership Lab endeavor as a vital platform to connect emerging leaders from diverse backgrounds and foster their collective potentialto shape the future of the region and create a positive impact on a global scale.”

About the East-West Center:

The East-West Center promotes better relations and understanding among the people and nations of the United States, Asia, and the Pacific through cooperative study, research, and dialogue. Established by the US Congress in 1960, the Center serves as a resource for information and analysis on critical issues of common concern, bringing people together to exchange views, build expertise, and develop policy options.

About the Japan Foundation:

The Japan Foundation is a public institution established in 1972 to promote international cultural exchange throughout the world. With programs on culture, language and dialogue, the Foundation creates opportunities to foster friendship, trust, and mutual understanding between the people of Japan and other nations, offering diverse programs including seminars, exhibitions, grants, and Japanese language courses through its 30 offices worldwide. The institution’s Global Partnerships Department supports international dialogues and exchanges to address shared global challenges and foster enduring people-to-people networks for collaboration and partnership. Visit Japan Foundation on Facebook and Twitter.

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