Japanese UN Volunteer Inspired to Promote Global Peace

Haruki Ume is working for UN Volunteers at Expo 2025 in Osaka, Japan.

A United Nations volunteer from Japan has said that, as a teenager, he was motivated by the passion of young people he met on an exchange programme to contribute to peace and development initiatives.

Haruki Ume spoke to UN News at the UN Pavilion at Expo 2025, currently being held in the Japanese city of Osaka.

One section of the pavilion features a rotating presentation focusing on a specific UN agency or entity. Recently, attention turned to the UN Volunteers programme.

“As a 17-year-old, I travelled to the United States on an educational exchange programme. My main motivation was to play baseball and experience American culture.

I met many people from Africa, Asia, and Europe, and I was shocked and then impressed by their passion and motivation to support their villages and communities back home.

One boy from Azerbaijan told me he had been selected for the exchange from over 100 applicants as the only student from his country. He said he had a responsibility not to waste the opportunity and to represent those other applicants — and his country — to the best of his ability.”

Haruki Ume plays with two boys during a visit to the Philippines in 2017.

“At that moment, I decided I wanted to contribute more to society, so I began studying development issues. I travelled as much as I could during my vacations — to places like Cambodia, the Philippines, India, Peru, Egypt, and Uganda.

As a volunteer, I supported education and other initiatives during field missions and was deeply driven to help people who were less fortunate than I was. I also learned a lot from them, so I definitely valued it as an exchange of experiences and knowledge.”

“I was raised in a small town in rural Japan where there were no foreigners. People grow up, work, and die there, and many never experience foreign cultures or truly understand the outside world.

I remember being nervous about speaking English and eating unfamiliar food, but I was eager to break through those personal barriers and broaden my perspective.

Being open to new experiences has made it easier to adapt to other cultures. This understanding promotes peace, friendship, and ultimately international cooperation.

I’ve been working at the UN Pavilion at Expo 2025 to promote the UN and the work of UN Volunteers. I’m doing this in the spirit of building cooperation and creating positive change in the world.

Expo 2025 is bringing the world to Osaka and is providing an opportunity for Japanese people to explore how we can work together more effectively to build a fairer and more peaceful world.”