T20 Inception Conference Held for Policy Recommendations to G20

This Inception Conference was the first event for the T20 Japan 2019 term. Plenary sessions were held on the 4th, and sessions by each of the ten task forces were held on the 5th. The JICA Research Institute (JICA-RI) is coordinating Taskforce 1 "2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (SDGs)" and Taskforce 5 "Cooperation with Africa."

In the morning of the 4th, Kenji Yamada, parliamentary vice-minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, opened the event by expressing expectations for policy recommendations from T20, the G20's "idea bank." Asian Development Bank President Takehiko Nakao and JIIA President Kenichiro Sasae also made speeches.

Next, a panel discussion was held on the theme "T20: The Role of Think Tanks for G20." With Naoyuki Yoshino, dean of ADBI, serving as moderator, prominent and experienced scholars participated in discussions. Panelists pointed out the increasing role of the think tank community in promoting agreements through analysis based on scientific evidence regarding issues for which it is difficult to reach consensus in the politically oriented G20 framework. The discussions involved the audience as well, and the issue of how to increase the influence of T20 on G20 was raised.

In the afternoon of the 4th, IIMA President Hiroshi Watanabe gave his welcome remarks, followed by Koji Tomita, representative of the Government of Japan for the G20 Summit. Tomita expressed expectations for collaboration with T20, proposing that the priority of the G20 Japan 2019 should be to continue the successes of the Argentina G20 and to return to cooperation toward achieving sustainable growth.

Ohno pointed out that it is important to begin from a solid action, then introduced Japan's efforts on the SDGs. She explained that the Japanese government launched the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Promotion Headquarters in the Prime Minister's office and established eight priorities, including both domestic and foreign issues, aimed at building Japan's unique SDGs model. She said JICA would seek to utilize Japan's development experience toward aid to developing countries, thereby contributing to the resolution of global and local issues. In addition, as a co-chair of Taskforce 1 "2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (SDGs)," Ohno said that the important perspective of this task force is that “no one is left behind.” She explained that the task force will narrow down policy recommendations to five areas: universal health coverage (UHC), education, global institutional and/or financing issues, the role of the private sector and gender. She closed her speech by emphasizing the importance of a human-centered approach, the utilization of a network of experts, cross-cutting perspectives, as well as continuity and innovation.