More than 200 Festival-goers Enjoy IMF Games at One World Festival in Osaka
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Media Inquiries
International Monetary Fund
Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific
Press Officer: Yuko Maeda
Tel: 81-(0)3-3597-6719
Email: oapmedia@imf.org
Event overview and purpose
- The One World Festival in Osaka was held for two days from February 1; the report is dated February 2, 2020, Osaka, Japan.
- The event is one of the largest international cooperation fairs in Western Japan where about 100 entities from civil society, governments and international organizations showcased their work.
- The IMF Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (OAP) participated to reach out to the general public and raise understanding of the IMF’s mission and work.
IMF participation and activities
- OAP set up a booth along with the World Bank group (WB) in the Kita Kumin Center for two days and jointly held a career talk event at the stage in the Kansai TV building on Day 1.
- Two staff staffed the IMF booth from morning to evening.
- Promotional materials distributed included postcards, flyers and information sheets.
Visitor engagement, games, and outreach outcomes
- About 250 people received promotional postcards, flyers and information sheets.
- Around 200 people played an IMF quiz covering basic questions such as the IMF’s birth year and Japan’s contribution to the IMF.
- A hundred of these visitors further tried a board game on SDGs that asked players to match the IMF’s initiatives and contributing goals of the SDGs.
- Visitor reactions highlighted increased understanding:
- An elderly woman said, “I’d heard of the IMF on news, but I didn’t know exactly what it does. I’ve learnt a lot today from the game!”
- A college student majoring in environmental studies noted surprise that “the IMF as an economic institution focuses on policy work not only about the economy but also climate change. ‘Does the IMF also work on environmental issues? That’s great!’”
Career outreach and audience impact
- The IMF and the WB used the festival to discuss career opportunities, paths and preparation for youths.
- About 50 people listened to presentations by OAP Director Chikahisa Sumi and WB Tokyo’s Senior External Affairs Officer Koichi Omori at the talk event “Let’s Work at the International Financial Institutions!”
- Presentations covered typical career paths and introduced the WB’s and IMF’s respective scholarships for Japanese.
- A senior student who assisted the talk and booth work said the event broadened career perspectives and made working for an international organization seem reachable.
Organizational commitment and prior engagement
- OAP is committed to public outreach throughout Japan and beyond.
- OAP has been participating in a similar event, the Global Festa in Tokyo, for more than a decade.