This symposium aims to deepen discussion on the role of policy-oriented research for achieving the SDGs, from a variety of perspectives. The event will discuss on the future challenges and opportunities for policy-oriented research and how to co-design research with policymakers. It will bring together experts from Japan and other countries, including Dr. Nebojsa Nakicenovic (TWI2050** Project Leader, former Deputy Director of IIASA*), a leading expert at the forefront of global research on the SDGs.
The symposium will be organised as an event to mark the retirement of Prof. Kazuhiko Takemoto (Director, UNU-IAS), who leaves after leading the institute for the past 6 years.
This year, for the first time since the adoption of the SDGs, the High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) was held as the SDG Summit under the UN General Assembly. The challenge now is to build on the efforts made since 2015, to accelerate ambitious action to achieve the goals.
In Japan, the situation surrounding the SDGs has changed significantly since 2016 when the SDGs Promotion Headquarters was established and the SDGs Implementation Guidelines formulated. Awareness of the SDGs has increased, and various sectors such as private companies, local governments, and civil society organizations have been expanding their efforts to achieve the SDGs.
As part of its mission to advance efforts towards a more sustainable future, UNU-IAS has been conducting policy-oriented research on the SDGs since their adoption in 2015. This includes engaging in research on methods to comprehensively evaluate the progress of integrated efforts toward achieving the SDGs, in collaboration with the National Institute of Environmental Studies (NIES) and Keio University. This research, “Inclusive Research on Integrated Implementation Methodology Towards Achievement of SDGs”, has been supported under the Environmental Research and Technology Development Fund of the Ministry of the Environment, Japan since 2018.
14:00 Registration
14:30–14:40 Opening Remarks
14:40–15:00 Special Lecture
15:00–15:45 Invited Lecture
15:45–17:15 Panel Discussion
Moderator: Dr. Kazuhiko Takemoto (UNU-IAS)
Discussants: Prof. Shuzo Murakami (IBEC), Dr. Kanako Morita (FFPRI/UNU-IAS)
17:15–17:20 Closing
17:30– Reception
The symposium will be held in Japanese and English, with simultaneous interpretation provided.
This event has now reached maximum capacity, and registrations are closed.
This event will be organised by UNU-IAS, the University of Tokyo, Future Earth Japan, and the National Institute for Environmental Studies, Japan (NIES). It will be supported by the Environment Research and Technology Development Fund (1-1801&S-16) of the Ministry of the Environment Japan, SDSN-Japan, and the Global Environment Outreach Centre (GEOC).
This symposium will be held as part of the UNU-IAS SDG Dialogue event series.
*The International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA)
IIASA was founded in 1972 as an international non-governmental research organisation with 12 founding members including Japan. IIASA conducts policy-oriented research into problems of a global nature that are too large or too complex to be solved by a single country or academic discipline. Today, IIASA is sponsored by its 23 National Member Organizations around the world. Its research is independent and completely unconstrained by political or national self-interest. Japan has been a very active member of IIASA with many joint research activities since its beginning.
**TWI2050 Project (The World in 2050)
The goal of TWI2050 is to provide science and fact-based knowledge for sustainable transformation, and to support the policy process for achieving the SDGs. The initiative aims to assess synergies and trade-offs and to provide possible pathways for an integrated approach to transformational challenges (www.twi2050.org). TWI2050 was launched by the IIASA in collaboration with the Stockholm Resilience Centre, the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) and other institutions. Currently, a number of major research institutes in the world take part in the initiative, including the National Institute of Environmental Studies (NIES), Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) and the Research Institute of Innovative Technology for the Earth (RITE) from Japan.
Reception Hall (2nd Floor)
United Nations University
5-53-70 Jingumae
Shibuya-ku
Tokyo 150-8925