On 25 October 2024, the United Nations University and Pasona Group signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) focused on creating educational programmes to promote regional revitalization in various parts of Japan including Awaji Island.
With the vast majority of Japan’s population living in and migrating to urban centres, Japan’s rural regions and local communities are facing unique socioeconomic risks — challenges compounded by an ageing society, depopulation, and the impacts of climate change and natural hazards.
The new MoU aligns the strengths and mutual interests of UNU and Pasona Group to support sustainable development in Japan. By leveraging UNU’s research expertise and Pasona Group's accumulated knowledge on regional human resources development, this new partnership will create a range of educational opportunities to address the urgent development challenges faced by Japan’s smaller cities and communities.
Speaking at the signing, UNU Rector Tshilidzi Marwala remarked: "Japan is at the forefront of a global trend where people move from rural areas to major cities in search of work and opportunities. The collaboration between Pasona Group and the local authorities in Awaji Island is an example of the meaningful public-private collaboration that UNU and the greater UN system are increasingly pursuing. I am especially pleased that the MoU we are signing today is the first MoU that UNU is signing with a company from the Japanese private sector. I hope it will lead to many future collaborations."
In his remarks at the signing, Pasona Group CEO Yasuyuki Nambu highlighted: “Today’s MOU to work together is a wonderful endeavour. I can’t think of a better organization to be working with than UNU. As Pasona Group’s mission has always been to 'solve society’s problems' since I founded this company in 1976, this is an important step in the collaboration between our organizations for a better future. The sky is the limit for what we can achieve together.”
