On 28 May 2026 UNU-IAS will host a symposium to celebrate the International Day for Biological Diversity (IDB). Aligning with the 2026 IDB theme, "Acting Locally for Global Impact," the symposium will share international policy trends on biodiversity as well as national and local initiatives. The event will also explore ways to connect local action to global targets through a whole-of-society approach.
Participation & Registration
This in-person event will be held at the Elizabeth Rose Conference Hall at the UNU Headquarters in Tokyo, Japan. Please register by 25 May 2026 (JST) to attend the event.
Please note that participants in UNU events may appear in photography, screen captures, videos and/or audio (see disclaimer).
Language
Please note that this event will be held in Japanese only, with no interpretation provided.
Programme
14:00–14:15 Opening Remarks
- Hirotaka Ishihara (Minister of the Environment of Japan) video message
- Shinobu Yume Yamaguchi (Director, UNU-IAS)
- Astrid Schomaker (Executive Secretary, CBD Secretariat) video message
- Kazuhiko Takeuchi (President, Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES); Project Professor, Institute for Future Initiatives, the University of Tokyo; Visiting Professor, UNU-IAS) video message
14:15–14:35 Keynote Presentation 1
- Shizuka Hashimoto (Professor, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, Department of Ecosystem Studies, the University of Tokyo; Research Fellow, UNU-IAS）
14:35–14:55 Keynote Presentation 2
- Kaori Fujita (ESG Fellow, Nikkei BP; Professor, Green Goals Initiative and Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University）
14:55–15:10 Information Session
- Aya Nagata (Director, Office for Mainstreaming Biodiversity, Ministry of the Environment of Japan）
15:10–16:00 Case Studies
- Maiko Nishi (Professor, College of Bioresource Sciences Department of Global Coexistence Studies, Nihon University; Adjunct Professor, UNU-IAS）
- The City of Yokohama
- Haruna Sakai (Global Youth MIDORI platform 2025 Best Performance Award）
- Yasuhiko Sugiyama (Nebanomori）
- Keisuke Midori (Chief Researcher, CSV Strategy Department, Kirin Holdings Company, Limited）
16:00–16:10 Break
16:10–16:55 Panel Discussion Acting Locally for Global Impact — Mobilizing Collective Action toward Society Living in Harmony with Nature
Moderator: Tomoko Hoshino (Global Environmental Outreach Centre (GEOC)
16:50–17:00 Closing
- Tsunao Watanabe (Visiting Research Fellow, UNU-IAS）
Co-organizers
This event will be co-organized by UNU-IAS, the Ministry of the Environment of Japan (MOEJ), Global Environment Outreach Center (GEOC) and the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES), in cooperation with AEON Environmental Foundation and Japan Committee for International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN-J) (TBC), and with support from Japan Conference for 2030 Global Biodiversity Framework (J-GBF) (TBC) and Keidanren Committee on Nature Conservation (TBC).
Background
To commemorate the adoption of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) on 22 May 1992, the United Nations designates 22 May as the International Day for Biological Diversity. Every year, awareness-raising events are organized worldwide under a common international theme to accelerate action for biodiversity conservation and mainstreaming.
