Mar 02 2020

Niigata University participated in the Niigata SDGs Forum 2020 held on Tuesday, February 18, 2020 at Niigata Nippo Media Ship in Niigata City to promote Sustainable Development Goals. This forum was held in cooperation with the press, enterprises, universities, financial institutions and government.

More than 200 enterprises and educators in Niigata Prefecture, significantly exceeding the capacity, attended the forum on this day. Starting with a greeting by Yutaka Sakuma, Deputy Governor of Niigata Prefecture, the keynote speech was made followed by case studies of SDGs in Niigata Prefecture and a talk session.

The theme for the keynote speech was "The Basics and How to Start SDGs Advised by a Former United Nations Public Affairs Specialist" by Hitoshi Aoyagi, a former United Nations official and the Representative Director of SDGs Entrepreneurs, a general incorporated organization. He introduced examples of SDGs in Niigata Prefecture by showcasing the examples that enterprises and educational institutions in Niigata Prefecture are working on: Mitsuke City, Nagaoka University of Technology, Niigata University, Arakawa Junior High School, Ichimasa Kamaboko, Kashiwazaki Shinkin Bank, Axial Retailing, Knowledge Life, and Biomass Resin Minamiuonuma. From Niigata University, Associate Professor Toru Takashima of the Business Production Office of the Institute for Social Innovation and Cooperation gave a speech titled "Building a Sado Model for Satoyama Revitalization", introducing the work of solving regional issues through science and technology innovation in Sado City (Design-i).

In the subsequent talk session, Mr. Aoyagi, the keynote speaker, and Hisashi Tsuruma, the Director of Niigata Nippo's General Production Office, had a talk. Mr. Aoyagi put his message across to the audience, saying, "It's more important to try first than to think, and the most importantly, take the initiative and act." The venue was lively all the while and the forum ended as a great success.

Niigata University will continue to contribute to the promotion of SDGs and work on returning the results of education and research to society.