What is Needed to Achieve the SDGs? Seminar Hosted in Tokyo on Publication of a Book on Joint Research with the Brookings Institution

First, JICA-RI Director Izumi Ohno gave her opening remarks, pointing out that this book has value from both an academic and a policy perspective by providing resolutions for problems faced by the international community. She expressed her hope that this seminar would, through the discussions among panelists, provide lessons learned for the G20 Summit that will be held in Osaka in June 2019.

To kick off the panel discussion, JICA Senior Vice President Hiroshi Kato, one of the book's editors, first described the background of publication of the book. He pointed out that compared to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) encompass areas such as changing nature of issues themselves, necessary approaches, and actors involved. He continued to say that discussions about the SDGs are also important when thinking over Japan's future, and expressed his hope that participants could use this opportunity to consider what Japan could do.

Elizabeth Sidiropoulos, chief executive of the South African Institute of International Affairs, explained the current circumstances. She said that in 2013, two years before the SDGs were established, African countries adopted “Agenda 2063,” a long-term vision related to African politics, economy, and society, through an agreement in the African Union (AU). She explained that this agenda shares many elements with the SDGs. She said obstacles to their achievement include insufficient funding of development and a lack of data needed for monitoring. Sidiropoulos also commented on South Africa's activities to achieve the SDGs, making it clear that the country placed importance on science, technology and innovation, included them in its national development plan, and was focusing efforts on inclusive development.

In addition, Masao Seki, chair of the Task Force on Keidanren’s Charter of Corporate Behavior of Keidanren (Japan Business Federation), explained Keidanren's initiatives to achieve the SDGs. He mentioned that Keidanren has set the goal of achieving “Society 5.0,” which optimizes society overall by fully utilizing innovative technology. He said this is also aligned with the philosophy of the SDGs. He also pointed out that their Charter of Corporate Behavior had been revised in 2017, newly adding "Sustainable economic growth and the resolution of social issues" and "Respect for human rights."

Finally, Hideki Wakabayashi, director of the Japan NGO Center for International Cooperation (JANIC) introduced the activities of the Japan Civil Society Network on SDGs (SDGs Japan), a civic group established in 2016. The organization recommends issues with an emphasis on human rights, such as support for the children of foreigners living in Japan and anti-bullying measures, and aims to strengthen the action plans of the Japanese government. Wakabayashi emphasized that it is important to keep in mind that we are all private citizens before we are government officials or businesspeople, and to consider what we can do.

There were many questions from the floor during the Q&A session, such as "What should be done when it is difficult to reform governance, such as in areas of conflict or other severe conditions?" and "How should we handle areas that have been left behind in efforts to achieve the SDGs?" and discussions continued lively.