Kunikazu Akao (International Organization for Migration)

To the people who are having a hard time, and need my help,

I want to work as closely as possible to them.

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If there were people worldwide suffering from poverty, many of us would want to provide adequate assistance to help improve their livelihood. We are one of them too. However, even if we feel that way, it can be difficult to translate that desire into action, and we also feel the limitation of our abilities to do so. We want to be passionate about what we do, but how can we do that?

Kunikazu Akao is a man who is passionate about his work and has turned his thoughts into action. He studied at International Christian University (ICU) and started working at IBM, an IT consultant company for 5 years before going to graduate school to study public policy and development studies. He then moved to Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and worked at the headquarters in Sudan. After that, Mr. Akao decided to join the International Organization for Migration (IOM), an agency of the United Nations (UN) since 2016. Currently, he is working in the African country of Sierra Leone. How did Mr. Akao turn his passion into action? Why did he first join an IT company and then choose to work in Sierra Leone? What advice would Mr. Akao give to young people? The interview was conducted in January 2021.

Authors: Adeline Chong, Natsumi Tanaka

January 2021

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Before Joining IOM

―What was your dream when you were a child?

Hmm… I wanted to be a baseball player when I was in primary school. Originally, I wanted to be a biology researcher in high school. When I was at ICU, I became interested in the Middle East and wanted to learn more about the cultures of Palestine, Iraq and Afghanistan. My interest in working for international cooperation started since my third year in high school.

―When you were at university, you visited Iraq both before and after the war in 2003, did you?

At that time, the world was in the middle of a huge war and there was news every day about the USA going to Afghanistan and Iraq. The thing that I couldn't understand was whether Iraq people are saying yes or no to the war because they are the ones who are mostly affected when the war breaks out. I wondered if it was necessary for the war to happen. I wanted to see that scene. I wanted to hear what Iraq people think about the necessity of the war and things they want to say directly from them.

―After graduating from ICU, why did you choose to work at IBM, an IT consultant company?

I had a goal of working at an international organization so I went to an IT company first in order to get the skills I need. The consultant company's work is project-based, and you work on a project for a year to two, or three months to half a year if it's shorter. I assumed that I would eventually return to the world of development cooperation, but I wanted to gain experience in the private sector, so when I graduated I wasn't thinking of joining a Non-Profit Organization (NPO) or Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). I thought I would be better off gaining experience in the private sector in terms of management and so on, which I could use when working in the development industry. I think it was a good thing for me.

―Working for the UN requires certain levels of English skills. Have you always been good at English?

Nope, absolutely not at the beginning. I was in an English class at ICU, but basically, I had to work it out on my own. I remember trying very hard studying, but if you're doing something you love, then you'll do it no matter how difficult it may be.

Working at IOM

―With so many countries in economic recession, what made you decide to come to Sierra Leone?

Firstly, there are jobs there, and I happened to be recruited for a job in Sierra Leone. Secondly, it's regarding the poverty's issue. I want to be as closely as possible to the people who are suffering and going through hard times.

―How much is your daily workload?

It's not that long. I usually don’t work long, starting at 8am and finishing at 7pm most days.

―Is there anything that happened before, and you think is important?

I am now working for International Organization for Migration (IOM) of the United Nations. It is the place where I feel like I've done most of my work, and where the differences that I made for the people can be seen visibly. I used to work in other places like IBM and JICA. However, working closer to the beneficiaries from the ground and looking at their faces meant a lot more, as I can see the impact my work did to them.

―Could you tell us some of the pros and cons of working in the UN?

I think the advantage is that I can work on the problems and issues of the world with my own hands. The disadvantage is, I suppose, the instability of this job as the employment period is not fixed. For instance, my employment period sometimes is about a year because it is project-based. Thus I had no idea as to what I'll be doing next year.

― What kind of person is suited to work at the UN?

People who never give up. It's okay to have some ups and downs but someone who is emotionally stable. Since it's an active job, it's hard for people who are afraid of the possibility of losing their job, or not knowing what they'll be doing for the coming year. Also, it's beneficial if you are optimistic. The reason I'm saying that is because the problems we are working on are big and they couldn't be solved immediately. But if you can do it anyway and not worry about it, then I think you'll be good at it.

―After all, solving international problems is quite difficult, isn't it?

But still there are a lot of things that make me happy. If you think about it on a macro level, like trying to make the world a more peaceful place or reduce the carbon emissions to zero, it is difficult. In contrast, if you think about it on a micro-scale, there are things that make you happy easily. For example, it could be the people in front of us being happy, or the fact that rainfall has been stable throughout the year and we are able to grow a lot of rice. Thinking at a micro level helps you to be more thankful and gain more happiness.

―The United Nations is also known as the international civil service, so I thought if you worked there, it would be quite stable…

Actually it is very unstable. Considering the

international politics issue like if the USA leaves the World Health Organization (WHO), nearly up to half of the staff will be sacked due to the money lost from the USA's funding.

―That's what happens when the world is in cooperation, right?

Fundamentally, international problems are not the first priority. For example, for Japan, solving the problems of Japan will come first. Japan's funds will be used for Japan before going to international problems. However, if we have some extra money then we'll donate it to the world. The same goes for all other countries too, but I think that's fine. After all, the overall priority of international issues is quite low I suppose.

Job

―When deciding a job, having a job with a guaranteed salary, or having a job that you love, which do you think should come first?

If you have a clear idea of the things you want to do, then just go ahead and do it. In my case, I originally worked for IBM but now I work for IOM. Being at IBM is probably more stable (employment) compared to IOM, as there are many uncertainties like my budget was being cut off little by little. But on the other hand, I think my career at IOM is very stable and sustainable because I like it. I'll be able to improve my skills, get promoted and stay in the company for a longer time. If you've chosen to work on something you don't like, even if the company itself is stable, your performance will drop and your evaluation will be bad. Eventually, it’s still difficult to secure your job, isn't it?

―Other than your current job, is there anything else you would like to try?

If possible, I would like to create my own company. Social problems cannot be solved by the public sector alone. For example, to solve poverty, not only the UN but also people in the private sector have to pay for it. The power of the private sector is great, isn't it? So, I would like to create my own company and do my best overseas.

―If you were to set up your own company, what kind of role would you play?

I think my role is to form a bridge between the people who raise funds and the people who run the projects. I want to work together with everyone to make sure that I am the one who can connect the company and the projects in the world.

―What do you think are your strengths?

Yeah... I don't really think I have any specific one… Well, it would be to be able to put yourself in the other's shoes and imagine a bit of what you can give them. You can't work things out all by yourself, it has to be done together with someone else. For instance, we have various projects at IOM like projects regarding waste products, the Corona pandemic and youth employment. When we receive donations, we need to know what the donors want their funds going towards, what the Japanese government needs, and what activities are better to be held. These kinds of decisions can't be made by yourself; they need to be discussed with various people. If I can find out what they actually want, I can receive funding from them and the projects can be carried out more easily. I'm not very good at it, but I think I can have a little bit of an idea of who the donors are and what they expect of me. So that's why I think it is not a bad thing.

―So, you should think based on your strength?

Yes, like what I said earlier, if you like the work you do, you can keep doing it and it will be appreciated. Even if it's a job you're not interested in from the start, once you continue doing it, you'll gradually think that this is okay and it might eventually become something you want to do. Although you'll work hard at jobs that you don't like, but if you were to work harder at jobs that you like, I think you'll be able to find out what you really want to do.

Message/Advice

―How do you know what you like to do?

You don't have to think too hard about this matter. Of course, you can think about many things but what's more important is whether you are enjoying it or not. For instance, students usually enjoy talking, studying or managing a club at university and so on. You can think about where else you get to enjoy this kind of happiness and if you can experience it in a job, you'll probably find the job interesting and be willing to continue that career for a longer period.

―Is finding something you like to do the only way to understand yourself?

Maybe so… In my point of view, there's no significant distinction between working people and students. Your life at university is also intertwined with society. When you talk to your friends in a foreign language, you may encounter a language barrier and that's probably your weakness. If you ask your friends around you, they will tell you about your strengths because they know you very well. You don't have to be a member of society to know your strengths, and I think you can learn about yourself right at where you are now.

― Is there anything you would encourage the student to study or experience before getting into society?

I think you should go somewhere that doesn't seem to have anything related to work. When I was a student, I used to go backpacking through Africa. I took on a bus to travel from South Africa to Egypt with a backpack. At that time, I go to Africa as I probably wouldn't have a chance to go there in the future and so I went there. Now I've been in Africa for almost 7 years, though (laugh). When you go somewhere you're not familiar with, you'll discover new things, gain a lot of experience and might stay there for years like I did in Africa. It's not easy to quit your job after working and become a backpacker. So if you can, try to do it now, before stepping into society. I think you should think about what you want to do and start working on it. For sure there are things that you don't want to do, though, you just have to move on and keep trying.