The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was adopted at the UN General Assembly in 2015. It is a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future. At its heart are the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a universal call to action for all countries to end poverty, protect the environment, and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity by 2030. To ensure that no one is left behind, a global partnership is necessary.

The 17 SDGs are integrated. Action in one area will affect outcomes in others. Development must balance social, economic and environmental sustainability. At the same time, the 5 Ps of the SDGs are often emphasized: People, Planet, Prosperity, Peace and Partnership.

In this course, we focus on Planet, Prosperity and Partnership (People and Peace are the focus of another UNU-IC course, The UN System and Sustainable Development). For the topics of this course, several SDGs are selected, and within each Goal, several Targets will be chosen for discussion.

For each course topic, (i) the current situation will be assessed; (ii) the challenges in achieving the Goal and some of its Targets will be analyzed; and (iii) priority action will be discussed. Each course topic will be covered by an expert with experience in the UN system (UN Funds & Programmes and Specialized Agencies), as well as other international governmental and non-governmental organizations.

Course Topics

Please note that the topics and schedule are subject to change.

Orientation: Prof. Yasushi Katsuma (UNU-IAS & Waseda University)

SDG 6: Clean Water and Environmental Sanitation: The Roles of WHO and UNICEF (Prof. Hidetoshi Kitawaki, Toyo University)
SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy (Prof. Masachika Suzuki, Sophia University)
SDGs 7 & 13: Sustainable Transport, with Focus on Sustainable Aviation (Prof. Yasushi Katsuma)
SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production (Prof. Hiroe Ishihara, The University of Tokyo)
SDG 13: Climate Change (Prof. Yasuko Kameyama, The University of Tokyo)
SDG 14: Life below Water and Biodiversity (Prof. Mariko Kawano, Waseda University)
SDG 15: Life on Land and Biodiversity (Dr. Osamu Saito, Institute for Global Environmental Strategies)