Prosperity through Decent Work: Executive Director Mine Yoichi Participates in UNDP-ILO Side Event at the UN High-level Political Forum

On July 13, 2026, Mine Yoichi , Executive Director of the JICA Ogata Sadako Research Institute for Peace and Development (JICA Ogata Research Institute), participated as a speaker in the side event “Prosperity through Decent Work: Connecting Water, Energy, Cities and Infrastructure to a Sustainable and Equitable Jobs Agenda,” organized by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the International Labour Organization (ILO) during the United Nations High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) at the UN Headquarters in New York.

The HLPF is one of the UN’s largest policy forums for the follow-up and review of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), bringing together governments, UN agencies, research institutions, civil society organizations, and other stakeholders. The 2026 HLPF reviewed progress on SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure), SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).

The side event focused on how investments in SDGs 6, 7, 9, 11, and 17 can contribute to decent work creation, the expansion of social protection, and inclusive prosperity. Participants from governments, international organizations, and development partners discussed integrated approaches and partnerships for linking investments to productivity growth, job creation, gender equality, and poverty reduction.

Following a keynote address by UNDP Administrator Alexander De Croo and a high-level dialogue session, Mine delivered his remarks. He explained that JICA places great importance on the concept of human security, which has been strongly advocated by UNDP, and emphasized that job security is a critical component of human security. He also introduced the JICA Ogata Research Institute’s flagship report, Human Security Today, No. 3 . In closing, Mine highlighted JICA-supported infrastructure projects, including water supply development in Cambodia and the Delhi Metro project in India. He noted that infrastructure investment can contribute to improved job quality and also to greater gender equality in employment. He further stressed the importance of making human security challenges more visible.

In addition to participating in the side event, Mine held discussions with representatives from various UN agencies and other organizations during the HLPF. While he observed a growing sense of urgency and commitment to accelerating efforts toward achieving the SDGs ahead of the 2030 deadline, he also exchanged views on emerging approaches to assessing social progress beyond conventional economic indicators such as Gross Domestic Product (GDP), focusing on measures that capture people’s well-being and quality of life.

During these exchanges, Mine shared updates on the JICA Ogata Research Institute’s ongoing research project, “Research on an Indicator Framework for New International Development Goals Beyond 2030 ,” and introduced the Human Security Dashboard initiative currently under development at the Institute. The initiative seeks to visualize the multiple dimensions of human security through a dashboard of indicators, rather than aggregating them into a single index. By presenting multiple indicators side by side, the dashboard is designed to help users identify specific areas where challenges remain and gain a more nuanced understanding of human security. He also exchanged views and shared research findings related to these initiatives.

A recording of the side event is available at the link below:

Research outputs from the project “Research on an Indicator Framework for New International Development Goals Beyond 2030” as well as an overview of the flagship report “Human Security Today, Vol. 3” can be accessed through the related links below.