Ms Jane Best honoured by The Queen
In recognition of her outstanding contribution to supporting refugees and those displaced by conflict, British Ambassador Tim Hitchens presented Ms Best with an Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire at the British Embassy Tokyo on 17 June.
Ms Best joined Refugees International Japan (RIJ) in 2000 as volunteer, as International Funding Director, and has served as President and CEO since 2006. While RIJ does not receive money from government, to preserve its independence, she has personally overseen a step change in engaging both large and small companies to provide corporate sponsorship. Ms Best achieved this through dynamic local fundraising and refugee advocacy initiatives.
She has been a strong inspirational leader, galvanising her volunteers. One such occasion was when she supported local projects in the Tohoku region, following the earthquake and tsunami in March 2011. She demonstrated that displacement internally in Japan needed to be taken as seriously as in overseas countries affected by war. Her work overseas and in Japan has played a very positive and influential role in generating a better understanding of corporate social responsibility in Japan and globally.