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SPOTLIGHT
News from Belgrade
By Keita Sugai
 
 
Keita Sugai of the Scholarship Division reports on his May 2001 visit to Belgrade and the University of Belgrade. Foundation staff members visit SYLFF institutions to confer with SYLFF Steering Committees and other groups and individuals, and to meet with graduated and currently enrolled SYLFF fellows.
 
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Rector Marija Bogdanovic presenting a painting to Yohei Sasakawa
SYLFF Fellow Now Serving as Foreign Minister
 "In my opinion, support for education is one of the most rewarding forms of investment.... Support for a young person, even if it is but one of many of a donor, can greatly impact the rest of the recipient's life."
 Those words were spoken by Mr. Goran Svilanovic, Yugoslavia's federal minister of foreign affairs, in a May 21, 2001, meeting with Mr. Yohei Sasakawa, the president of The Nippon Foundation, during the latter's visit in Belgrade. In calmness and modesty, which convey the impression of a person acting with a strong will, Mr. Svilanovic emphasized the importance of support for education. Minister Svilanovic is a fellow of the Sasakawa Young Leaders Fellowship Fund (SYLFF) Program at the University of Belgrade.
 Minister Svilanovic obtained his master's degree in law at the University of Belgrade in January 1993. In 1990, he received a SYLFF fellowship from the university for his research in Germany. Mr. Svilanovic is described as a human-rights activist. Since 1989, he has served as an associate of the Yugoslav Human Rights Forum and since 1993 has been a member of the Civic Alliance of Serbia, a political party that is now led by Minister Svilanovic himself. In 1996, Minister Svilanovic served as chairman of the Council for Human Rights of the Centre for Anti-War Action. He has also published many books and articles on civil law.
 During the meeting, Minister Svilanovic thanked Mr. Sasakawa both for the support he received under the SYLFF Program and also for other projects in Yugoslavia for which The Nippon Foundation has provided support. He noted that "the foundation aims to help those who are in immediate need."
 
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1990 SYLFF fellow, Foreign Minister Goran Svilanovic
Mr. Sasakawa Visits the University of Belgrade
 On the same day that Mr. Sasakawa met Minister Svilanovic, he also met Prof. Dr. Marija Bogdanovic, the rector of the University of Belgrade; Prof. Dr. Gaso Knezevic, minister for education and sports of the Republic of Serbia; members of the SYLFF Steering Committee; and graduated and currently enrolled SYLFE fellows. Mr. Sasakawa said "We scheduled a visit to Yugoslavia because we hope to facilitate international exchanges in the private sector there." He urged the university to actively participate in the SYLFF network, including activities relating to the program's 15th anniversary, which are scheduled to take place in Tokyo next year. Rector Bogdanovic presented Mr. Sasakawa with a painting of Slavija Square, one of the most scenic areas in the city of Belgrade. Mr. Sasakawa was also interviewed by student reporters for broadcast.
Meeting with Members of the Committee
 Prior to Mr. Sasakawa's meeting with Rector Bogdanovic, Mr. Keita Sugai, a staff member of the Scholarship Division, visited the university on May 17, 2001. There he met Prof. Dr. Bogdan Djuricic, vice-rector and newly appointed president of the committee, and Ms. Branka Janda-Markovic, a staff member concerned with international relations. During this meeting, Mr. Sugai introduced the foundation's new initiatives, including the SYLFF Fellows Survey that was distributed so as to solicit fellows' feedback to promote networking of fellows in 62 universities and consortia in 40 countries. He also introduced a new database system that in the near future will be accessible to fellows, faculty members, and administrators through a new Website dedicated to the SYLFF Program.
 The Scholarship Division is delighted that the SYLFF Program at the University of Belgrade is being revitalized following a period of dormancy.








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