News

The Goi Peace Foundation, a Key Partner of the Global Action Programme on ESD (GAP), has been organizing an annual ESD Japan Youth Conference in partnership with the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Japan (MEXT) and the Japanese National Commission for UNESCO to offer students and young professionals (ages 18-35) from various fields, a platform to come together and engage in dialogue and peer learning to enhance their ESD practices. Since the first edition took place in 2014, this conference has been instrumental in promoting youth involvement in ESD and in building a national network of ESD youth, which now has over 200 members collaborating and innovating for sustainable development.  

As an expanded special edition, an ESD Youth Week was organized in Tokyo in September 2017, starting with the 4th ESD Japan Youth Conference, and followed by an exchange programme inviting university students from China and the Republic of Korea to join their Japanese peers in ESD learning and discussions. The programme offered an opportunity for the participants to co-create a vision of a peaceful and sustainable future for East Asia and the world, while deepening mutual understanding and lasting friendship. Please read the full report on the ESD Youth Week here.

As in other years, a follow-up meeting was held in Tokyo and two other locations in February 2018, inviting alumni of all previous youth conferences as well as their associates and experts in the field who are passionate about supporting youth action. Empowered through intergenerational dialogue and cooperation, these young leaders are now regarded as a major driving force in accelerating ESD in Japan.

URL:

https://en.unesco.org/news/young-leaders-japan-china-and-korea-come-together-drive-change-through-esd