6 August 2025 — From 27 to 31 August 2025, a five-day event will be held at the Osaka-Kansai Expo, Japan, offering real-time international exchange and participatory environmental education opportunities for students from elementary to high school levels.
Participants will explore diverse approaches to addressing global sustainability challenges by examining real-world case studies from Noto (Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan), Kenya, Malaysia, and the Philippines — regions where the United Nations is actively engaged. Each day will focus on a different theme, including nature and culture, biodiversity, disaster resilience, climate change and circular economy. Through dialogue, storytelling and collaborative learning, youth will be encouraged to envision and shape a sustainable future.
Serving as the ambassador for the event, the marine biologist and popular science communicator SAKANA-KUN will be participating online in some of the sessions. SAKANA-KUN leads the SD BlueEarth (SDBE) association, which focuses on achieving the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with a strong emphasis on SDG 14: Life Below Water. The sessions' key visual features the character 'Go! SAKANA-KUN,' who supports efforts to achieve the SDGs.
The programme will offer a cross-sectoral perspective, drawing upon the research conducted by the United Nations University Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability (UNU-IAS) on the SDGs, as well as activities of the Regional Centres of Expertise (RCEs) on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). Hosted by the Ministry of the Environment of Japan and co-organized by UNU-IAS, the programme is supported by a diverse range of domestic and international partners, including TOPPAN Inc.
Programme Overview
27 August (Wed)
CONNECTING YOU TO Noto — Let's Learn about the Biodiversity in Noto
Guest: SAKANA-KUN (online)
Sessions: ① 13:00–14:00 | ② 14:30–15:30 | ③ 16:00–17:00
Audience: Elementary school students
28 August (Thu)
CONNECTING YOU TO Noto — Learning from a Disaster-Affected Region Together with Local Youth
Sessions: ① 13:00–14:00 | ② 14:30–15:30 | ③ 16:00–17:00
Audience: High school students
29 August (Fri)
CONNECTING YOU TO Kenya — Climate Change and our Hope: Empowering Youth for a Sustainable Future
Sessions: ① 12:00–13:00 | ② 14:00–15:00 | ③ 16:00–17:00
Audience: Junior high and high school students
30 August (Sat)
CONNECTING YOU TO Malaysia — Guardians of Our Own: Embracing Indigenous Lifeways and Biodiversity
Sessions: ① 12:00–13:00 | ② 14:00–15:00 | ③ 16:00–17:00
Audience: Junior high and high school students
31 August (Sun)
CONNECTING YOU TO the Philippines — Circular Solutions for Plastic Waste
Audience: Elementary, junior high, and high school students
Sessions: ① 12:00–13:00 | ② 14:00–15:00 | ③ 16:00–17:00
Audience: Elementary, junior high, and high school students
Venue
Junior SDGs Camp (Sustainable Dome)
Language
English and Japanese (simultaneous interpretation will be provided except for the sessions on Noto on 27 and 28 August, which will be in Japanese only.)
Participation
Open to students from elementary through high school. Details of the programme and how to participate will be posted on UNU-IAS website as they become available.
General Program Inquiries
Noto session: Yoko Tomita (tomita@unu.edu, 076-224-2266)
Kenya session: Kozue Tatsuhara (kozuetatsuhara@unu.edu, 03-5467-1272)
The Philippines and Malaysia sessions: Miki Konishi (konishi@unu.edu, 03-5467-1349)
Media Inquiries
For advance interviews or media inquiries, please contact the following:
In Japanese: Tomoyo Tanno (tanno@unu.edu, 03-5467-1255)
In English: Anne Lecroq (anne.lecroq@unu.edu, 03-5467-1213)
