The Program for Global Human Resource Development for Peacebuilding and Development was established by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan (MOFA) in order to strengthen the capacity of individuals working for peacebuilding and development. The Primary Course is designed to prepare early career professionals in peacebuilding, international development and related fields to work with a high level of competence, agility and skills. Since FY2024, the course has been delivered by Hiroshima University, in close cooperation with the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) and the United Nations Volunteer programme (UNV).

The FY2025 course combines online pre-training in October 2025 and in-person training from November 3 - 30, 2025 in Tokyo and Hiroshima, Japan. Around 10 participants from Japan and one participant each from Armenia, Cambodia, Cameroon, Ecuador, Guatemala, Iraq, Nepal, Palestine, Papua New Guinea, South Sudan, and Timor-Leste are invited to participate. One to two participants from the African Union Commission (AUC) are also invited to participate (please note that for AUC, the application process is not open to the public and depends on arrangements with AUC). 

For further details, please be sure to read the "Call for Applications for the FY2025 Primary Course (Non-Japanese Applicants)", downloadable from the link at the bottom of this page.

• October 2025 (2 sessions online): Program Associates will participate in 2 online preparatory sessions, where they will be introduced to each other and be given a pre-training assignment, to be completed before the in-person training starts. Participants will be notified of the dates and times in due course.
• November 3-7, 2025 (Week 1): Program Associates will meet in Tokyo and start their training on fundamental aspects of the United Nations. In addition to participating in lectures and discussions, they will visit the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other organizations involved in peacebuilding and international development.
• November 8-30, 2025 (Weeks 2-4): Training will be delivered in person, mainly at the Higashi-Hiroshima campus of Hiroshima University in Hiroshima Prefecture. Program Associates will participate in interactive lectures, group discussions, case studies, role-playing, and other sessions. The training will be project-based learning, whereby Program Associates choose their real-world challenges to practice and apply their learning. 

The training will focus on the following main themes:

• Substantive Knowledge including the guiding principles of the United Nations; multilateral approaches to peacebuilding; the Humanitarian-Development-Peace (HDP) nexus; economic, social and environmental frameworks such as the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Pact for the Future ; and emerging issues such as artificial intelligence.
• Effective Working Skills such as program planning and project management skills, monitoring and evaluation; communication and negotiation skills; and skills associated with UN 2.0 and the “Quintet of Change”.
• Career Development Skills such as UN competencies, values and behaviors; management skills; well-being; self-assessment and career planning; improving your job applications and interview preparation.
• Hiroshima’s Recovery and Messages of Peace including a visit to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum.

Training will take place in Tokyo and Hiroshima University, Higashi-Hiroshima, Japan (about 4 hours by bullet train from Tokyo). 

For non-Japanese participants, the costs of the in-person training in Japan will be covered by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan (travel fees between the country of residence and Japan; travel within Japan; travel insurance; accommodation; and a daily allowance to cover other expenses). Please note that participants may need some additional money to cover food and miscellaneous expenses. Further details will be shared with the applicants after they apply.

1. A strong will to work in the field of peacebuilding and/or international development in the future
2. At least three years of work experience in peacebuilding and/or development-related fields (e.g., law, public administration, economic development, education, public health, logistics support, IT and digital science, human resources, communications and media, environment, project management, etc.)
3. A university degree (Bachelor's degree) or equivalent
4. Aged between 27 and 39 years as of April 1, 2025
5. English proficiency equivalent to scores of or above 90 on TOEFL iBT, 900 on TOEIC or 6.5 on IELTS (candidate must have 6.5 in all sections of IELTS, namely Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking)
6. Health condition suitable for participation in the program and the ability to attend the entire duration of the Course. Selected applicants may be asked to submit a Certificate of Good Health prior to the training.

1. First fill in the online form from the link below with your basic information. 
   https://forms.office.com/r/VkmkaULgdx
2. Then you will be sent an email with the Supplementary Application Form attached. Fill in this form and send it back to gpad-primary@office.hiroshima-u.ac.jp, together with a Certificate of English proficiency (a certificate or score sheet of an English proficiency test such as TOEFL, TOEIC, or IELTS, taken in the last five years). A photocopy is acceptable. In cases where the applicant cannot submit such a document, applicants may submit a “Recommendation Letter on Candidate’s English Language Proficiency” from someone who can attest to the applicant’s language level.
    

• Deadline for online application:  Monday July 7, 2025 (5 pm Japan Time)
• Deadline for sending Supplementary Application Form and language certificates:  Friday July 11, 2025 (9 am Japan Time)

The selection process for non-Japanese participants entails the following steps:

1. Document screening
2. Interview (applicants who pass the document screening will be contacted by the Japanese Embassy in their country of origin for the interview, either in-person or online).
3. Applicants will be informed of the outcome of the selection process around the beginning of September 2025.