WILD BIRDS

On Wednesday, September 18, Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL; President & CEO: Takeshi Hashimoto; Head Office: Minato-ku, Tokyo) held a session "Thinking about social contributions - Lessons from the WAKASHIO Incident and Insights into the MOL Group's Initiatives." After the grounding and oil spill incident involving the MOL chartered vessel WAKASHIO, MOL provided assistance to Mauritius through two funds: the MOL Mauritius International Fund for Natural Environment Recovery and Sustainability (the Fund) (Note 1) and the MOL Charitable Trust (the "Trust") (Note 2). The session was held as a follow-up event to the WAKASHIO Memorial Day, which has been held annually since 2021, with the aim of considering how each and every executive and employee in the group should engage in social contribution activities, with the goal of linking social contribution activities in Mauritius to the development of all people and communities related to the group.

The MOL Charitable Trust ("the Trust") (Note 1), established in Mauritius in June 2021, has made its fourth call for proposals for the period from Friday, September 6 to Monday, September 30, 2024. The Trust was established with the goal of supporting social and environmental projects in line with the intent of the Trust, focusing on activities in the southeast of Mauritius.

On Saturday, June 8 2024, in cooperation with local NGO EcoMode Society (Note 1) and the University of Mauritius, MOL (Mauritius) Ltd. conducted a beach cleanup in commemoration of World Oceans Day. The event was held on the beach of Rivière des Créoles, and drew a total of about 100 volunteers, as well as officials from the three host organizations, staff from the Japanese Embassy in Mauritius, and local fishermen. The beach activity was a valuable opportunity to promote environmental conservation in the local coastal area, raise environmental awareness among participants, and deepen cooperation with the community.

On June 11, MOL Mauritius International Fund for Natural Environment Recovery and Sustainability (Note1) held an online meeting to report the outcome of the projects implemented in the Republic of Mauritius. At the beginning of the meeting, the chairperson, Mariko Kawaguchi, spoke about her firsthand experience of seeing the passion with which each organization tackled social issues during her previous project inspection in Mauritius. She expressed her anticipation for the reports of the day.

The MOL Mauritius International Fund for Natural Environment Recovery and Sustainability in Japan (Note 1) will hold its 2nd Year Project Outcome Reporting Session 2024 on Tuesday, June 11, with organizations which received grant for the second year. This is the second reporting session since the establishment of the fund in November 2021. The objective is to introduce the audience to a wide range of activities and results of the funded projects to promote environmental restoration and conservation in Mauritius and contribute to local communities.

The MOL Charitable Trust (Note 1) on January 31, 2024, announced the selection of 15 projects proposed by NGOs and educational institutions for funding in the third call for applications (Note 2). This third round of grants centers on projects in line with the priority areas of the MOL Group's policy of corporate citizenship activities: "marine environment," "biodiversity," and "human resources development" (Note 3).The 15 newly selected projects will contribute to the realization of a sustainable society and the achievement of its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The Authorized Public Trust 'MOL Mauritius International Fund for Natural Environment Recovery and Sustainability' ("the Trust in Japan") (Note 1), established in November 2021, has opened a call for project applications for FY2024, with the application period running from October 30 to December 22, 2023. The Trust in Japan was established to promote sustainable economic growth and culture in Mauritius by providing support for nature conservation activities and initiatives that contribute to local communities.

On Wednesday, July 12, 2023, the authorized public trust MOL Mauritius International Fund for Natural Environment Recovery and Sustainability (the "Fund") (note 1) held an online project outcome session in Japan and the Republic of Mauritius.During the session, seven of the 11 NGOs selected for 2022 grant recipient projects reported on the results of their activities over the past year. An event room was organized in Mauritius, where local NGO groups attended in person and their presentations were broadcasted in real time to Japan, inspiring a lively exchange of opinions.

The MOL Charitable Trust ("the Trust") (Note 1), established in Mauritius in June 2021, has made its third call for proposals for the period from Monday, September 3 to Friday, September 29, 2023. The Trust was established with the goal of supporting social and environmental projects in line with the intent of the Trust, focusing on activities in the southeast of Mauritius.

On Thursday, June 8, MOL (Mauritius) Ltd. participated in a cleanup event held in conjunction with World Oceans Day. This event was hosted by the EcoMode Society (Note 1), a local NGO and grant recipient from MOL Mauritius International Fund for Natural Environment Recovery and Sustainability (Note 2) in last fiscal year, and took place at Ferney Bridge in the southeastern coastal district with the aim of gaining a deeper understanding of the importance of the marine environment.

The MOL Mauritius International Fund for Natural Environment Recovery and Sustainability in Japan (Note 1) will hold its 1st year Project Outcome Reporting Session 2023 on Wednesday, July 12, with organizations which received grant for the first year. This is the first debriefing since the establishment of the fund in November 2021. The objective is to introduce the audience to a wide range of activities and results of the funded projects to promote environmental restoration and conservation in Mauritius and contribute to local communities.

The "MOL Mauritius International Fund for Natural Environment Recovery and Sustainability" (the Fund) (Note 1), an authorized public trust, completed the selection of new projects to be funded at the steering committee meeting in March 2023, and at the end of the same month, it started the disbursement of grants.

The MOL Charitable Trust, which was established in June, 2021 in Mauritius ("the Trust") (Note), issues a report on activities in the projects funded during its first year. Of the total of 26 projects selected for funding in the first year, 22 were accomplished as planned. The Yearly Report details activities of each project and the Trust for the year.

The MOL Charitable Trust (the "Trust") (Note 1) held a ceremony in Mahebourg on Sunday, January 15, 2023, to announce the 20 projects selected for support from the Fund among those submitted in the second call for applications. The Fund also exchanged Memorandums of Understanding with each organization (Note 2). Among those in attendance were Mr. Shuichiro Kawaguchi, the Ambassador of Japan to Mauritius and Mr. Junichiro Ikeda, the Chairman of the Board of MOL who expressed his hopes for the success of each project and his gratitude to everyone involved.

The Authorized Public Trust 'MOL Mauritius International Fund for Natural Environment Recovery and Sustainability' ("the Trust in Japan") (Note 1), established in November 2021, has opened a call for applications for projects to be funded in fiscal 2022, with the application period running from October 31 to December 28, 2022. The Trust in Japan was established to promote sustainable economic growth and culture in Mauritius by providing support for nature conservation activities and initiatives that contribute to local communities.

MOL Charitable Trust ("the Trust") (Note 1), established in Mauritius in June 2021, has made its second call for proposals for the period from September 2 to Septemeber 26, 2022. The Trust was established with the goal of supporting social and environmental projects in line with the intent of the Trust, focusing on activities in southeast Mauritius.

At a ceremony held in Mahebourg, Mauritius on Friday, December 10, 2021, the MOL Charitable Trust (the Fund), which was established in Mauritius in June 2021, announced its intent to fund 26 projects(*) led by NGOs and other local organizations, selected among applicants for the first call for grant applications. The Fund also exchanged Memorandums of Understanding with each organization.

As a part of the Natural Environmental Protection and Recovery Project, MOL has been conducting a survey of the impact on birds in cooperation with Yamashina Institute for Ornithology and BirdLife International Tokyo. Hereunder, we would like to introduce a column by Masayoshi Kamioki, a Research Fellow at BirdLife International Tokyo*, who has been conducting local survey in Mauritius since October 25. In order to restore Mauritius' original, beautiful nature and ecosystems, MOL will continue its contributions to support the recovery of the environment.