National University of Rwanda to honour former UN Commissioner for Refugees

SOUTHERN PROVINCE HUYE — Former United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNCR) Sadako Ogata will be awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Laws by the National University of Rwanda tomorrow, the Varsity Rector, Professor Silas Lwakabamba has said. The award ceremony previously slated for March 27 during the University’s 7th congregation was postponed because the recipient, Sadako Ogata could not make it in person. According to NUR Rector Professor Silas Lwakabamba, June 10 has been set as the date for the awarding ceremony.He said, “All has been finalised. Madam Sadako Ogata will be awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Laws during a ceremony at the NUR’s main auditorium.” She is also expected to officiate at the inauguration of the Tumba Technical Institute built with support from Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). According to Professor Lwakabamba, Sadako Ogata, the current JICA President demonstrated exemplary leadership during her time at the helm of UNHCR. The Honorary Doctorate of Laws award by the NUR is in recognition of this exemplary conduct. Born on September 16 1927 in Tokyo, Japan, Madam Sadako Ogata also a member of the UN’s Advisory Committee on Genocide Prevention has excelled as a diplomat and scholar. She attained a PhD in Political Science from the University of California at Berkeley in 1963, a M.A in International Relations from George Town University, Washington DC in 1953 and a B.A from the University of the Sacred Heart, Tokyo in 1951. Madam Sadako Ogata has made a number of Publications. These include, ‘The Turbulent Decade: Confronting the Refugee Crisis of the 1990’s,’ published in 2005 and ‘The United Nations: in The Next Fifty years,’ published in 1996. She has received numerous awards for her efforts by different Universities and Organisations. These include; Human Rights Award by the International Human Rights Law Group, USA, David Rockefeller International Leadership Award, USA and the 2007 Global Leadership Award by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. She has received Honoris Causa Doctorate from the Brown University, USA, Queens University, Canada and from the University of Pennsylvania, USA. Ends