UNIDO Seminar: Japan-UNIDO Multi-stakeholder Cooperation Dialogue "Partnering to achieve the SDGs"

UNIDO Seminar was successfully held on 17 April 2018, taking opportunity of UNIDO Director General’s visit to Japan featuring Japan-UNIDO Multi-stakeholder Cooperation Dialogue “Partnering to achieve the SDGs”.

On the second day of his official visit to Japan, UNIDO Director General LI Yong joined stakeholders from the Japanese private and public sector and recipient country embassies to address a seminar where the discussion centered on “Partnering to achieve the SDGs”. With the SDGs gaining continued attention and interest within Japan, the programme boasted a multitude of speakers who spoke on the subject with actual cases of initiatives and projects matching to the SDGs, especially SDG9, which targets Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure.

Director General LI delivered an opening statement at the fifth Japan-UNIDO Multi-stakeholder Cooperation Dialogue, and used several examples from UNIDO’s project portfolio to underline the relevance of the Organization’s activities for the priorities of the Government of Japan, and cooperation with various stakeholders, including the private sector. Mr. Masaya Futamiya of Keidanren followed with a Special Address titled “Perspectives on the SDGs from the Japanese Private Sector” in which he focused on Keidanren’s revised Charter of Corporate Behavior, which with the primary aim of proactively delivering on the SDGs through the realization of Society 5.0.

Two discussion sessions followed, with Session I led by UNIDO Deputy to the Director General Mr. Hiroshi Kuniyoshi discussing “UNIDO’s activities to achieve the SDGs”, while Session 2 led by UNIDO ITPO Tokyo’s Head Mr. Yuko Yasunaga addressed “What contributions can be made to SDG9 through collaboration with UNIDO”. Besides panelists from the private and public sector of Japan, H.E. Mr. Rachad Bouhlal, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Morocco, and H.E. Mr. Cham Ugala Uriat, Ambassador of Ethiopia provided their experience to work with Japanese companies to contribute to their countries’ inclusive and sustainable industrial development (ISID), which is embodied in SDG9. In between the sessions, UNIDO’s Industrial Development Report 2018 (IDR 2018) was also briefed to the audience with a presentation by Ms. Cecilia Ugaz Estrada, Director, Department of Policy Research and Statistics of UNIDO.

The event, attracting around 150 participants, helped reaffirm UNIDO’s commitment for cooperation with all Japanese stakeholders going forward.

*Presentations can be downloaded by clicking the name of speakers below.

Japan-UNIDO Multi-stakeholder Cooperation Dialogue
　”Partnering to achieve the SDGs”

Outline

Date/Time:	Tuesday, 17 April 2018, 14:30–17:35 (followed by a reception 18:00–19:30)
Venue:	U Thant International Conference Hall, 3F, United Nations University
Organizer:	United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO)
Supporters:	Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan (MOFA), Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), Japan Business Federation (Keidanren), Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)

Programme and Presentations

14:30- Opening Addresses
– Mr. Korato Katsuki, Director, Global Issues Cooperation Division, International Cooperation
Bureau, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA)
– Mr. Satoshi Kurimoto, Director, Technical Cooperation Division, Trade and Economic
Cooperation Bureau, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI)

14:40- Keynote Address
Mr. LI Yong, Director General, United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO)

15:00– Special Address: “Perspectives on SDGs from the Japanese Private Sector”
    Mr. Masaya Futamiya, Chair of the Japan Business Federation (Keidanren) Committee on
    Corporate Behavior & Social Responsibility, and Director-Chairman of Sompo Japan
    Nipponkoa Insurance

15:15- Session I: “UNIDO’s activities to achieve the SDGs”
    Moderator: Mr. Hiroshi Kuniyoshi, Deputy to the Director General, UNIDO
– Mr. Takeshi Nagasawa, Senior Programme Management Expert,
     Department of Energy, UNIDO
– Mr. Kenichi Hirotsu, General Manager, Power Systems R&D Center,
     Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd.
– H.E. Mr. Rachad Bouhlal, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Morocco to Japan
– Mr. Masaharu Morita, Global Project Manager, Medical System Business Division, Fuji Film
– H.E. Mr. Cham Ugala Uriat, Ambassador of Ethiopia to Japan