Making Our Foundation More Solid for Another Half a Century
−Road for Incorporation of the Association as a Non-Profit Organization

The Meguro UNESCO Association was established in October 1954. Let us first look back at its Founding Mission Statement. The opening statement reads “In order that we can contribute to the benefits not only of the people in Meguro City but also across the whole world, we are determined to found the Meguro UNESCO Association to work together for the following purposes:”

　　It is our responsibility “to make the city a place where not only the residents but also visitors from all over the world can feel human and at home” and “to build a society abundant in international understanding.” “in order to achieve such a purpose, it is necessary to penetrate the community with the spirit of UNESCO; of building a peaceful world through education, science and culture as well as the spirit of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.”

The Statement further reads “It is our wish to cooperate with UNESCO, to form an organization of people who love freedom, justice and peace in Meguro on the basis of the UNESCO spirit; to make humble contributions to the elevation of the cultural level of the Meguro city, and make a bright society.”

　　During the past 50 years, the membership increased by 10 times and the scale of its activities widely enlarged. Our wish to make humble contributions to UNESCO engaged us in various activities in a rather flexible manner.

It is our responsibility now to prepare for the coming generations the necessary conditions for the continuous existence of the Association as well as conveying the ideals and wishes nourished during the past half a century. In order to make the foundation more solid we must adjust ourselves to the new area. When we find something that should be revised, we must not hesitate to do so. One of the big choices for us to make is incorporating the Association legally as a non-profit organization. There may be many problems to solve, but I am certain that we can work together to overcome them. Every time we pass a high hurdle, we will find a fresh view open in front of us.