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(#) To my own surprise, I suddenly offered to become a member of the PR committee, when I had the chance to attend one of their meetings in October. I believe no one took it for serious then, so to prove that I really meant it I had to have my words printed. And now that I have made it clear, once and for all, I am an officially recognized member of the PR committee. My first assignment was to write the editor’s note.

(#) I have always kept in close touch with the PR Committee, as I worked for the secretariat. However, actually becoming a member of the committee was a change. I began to think more constructively. And of course, I could no longer sit quietly as an observer at the meetings with all the trustworthy but sharp-tongued members.

(#) On October 27-28 “UNESCO Activity Study Session for the Kanto District” was held in Hitachinaka, Ibaraki Prefecture, attracting more than 300 attendants. Five people, including myself, participated from Meguro UNESCO. The theme was “Global Eyes, Local Action”. (As for the details, please refer to the report on page 3.)

(#) My greatest pleasure there was that I got to meet many people. The fact that we were all involved in UNESCO activities somehow made me feel a sense of affinity, though I had only met most of them for the first time. At the reception dinner, I happened to sit together with members of the PR Committee of Hitachinaka UNESCO. On returning to Tokyo, I sent them quite a few copies of our 50th anniversary issue. I’m glad I have become acquainted with such a variety of people.

(#) The 50 years’ history and the outstanding achievement of Meguro UNESCO are not there to oppress us or restrict us, but there for us to be digested and to be learnt from. I wish we can continue to be ever creative and act freely to create our own future.

(F. Harada)