On 9 October 2026, UNU-IAS hosted a special event celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Global Environment Outreach Centre (GEOC), a joint initiative of the Ministry of Environment of Japan (MOEJ) and UNU-IAS. It discussed the achievements and impact of GEOC in connecting diverse stakeholders and linking global agendas to local action, as well as the centre’s future in a rapidly changing society.
Opening the event, Shinobu Yume Yamaguchi (Director, UNU-IAS) expressed her appreciation to MOEJ and other stakeholders who had supported GEOC since its founding in 1996. She noted that as environmental challenges intensified and social cohesion weakened, GEOC’s role in bringing together diverse perspectives and fostering cross-sector collaboration was becoming increasingly important.
Haruhiko Nishimura (Director-General for Regional Decarbonization Policy, MOEJ) highlighted that the concepts of circular economy and coexistence with nature had become mainstream, and credited GEOC with supporting this shift by promoting citizen engagement.
A keynote speech by Kazuhiko Takeuchi (President, Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES); Project Professor, Institute for Future Initiatives, The University of Tokyo; Visiting Professor, UNU-IAS) focused on the concept of planetary boundaries. He explained that human activities were pushing the planet beyond its safe operating space, and underlined that development must advance human well-being.
Reflecting on the history of GEOC, Tsuneo Takeuchi (Professor, Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Nagoya University) highlighted its founding principle — that a sustainable society cannot be achieved by governments alone, and it requires participation of diverse stakeholders across society.
Katsuhiko Sawa (Representative Director of Kyushu Environmental Community Development) discussed GEOC’s role in connecting Environmental Partnership Offices (EPOs) set up by MOEJ across Japan, stressing the need to strengthen their collaboration.
Cosmo Takagi (Associate Professor, The University of Kitakyushu) highlighted three priorities for advancing partnerships: translating international agendas into actionable local policies; strengthening capacity through human resource and tool development; and bridging local government knowledge with academic research.
Kiyo Kawabuchi (Director General, Media and Public Relations, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA); Director, JICA Global Plaza) pointed out that JICA and GEOC shared many common features as platforms that foster collaboration and should cooperate more closely.
A panel discussion moderated by Tomoko Uetake (Director, Environmental Partnership Office, MOEJ) and Kensuke Eguchi (GEOC) discussed the future role of GEOC, including as a hub connecting local communities through citizen-level exchange and a reliable source of environmental information.
In closing remarks, Prof. Takeuchi expressed his hope that GEOC would become an even more open and inclusive platform for collaboration to generate synergies for a sustainable future.
