Side Events at Rio+20: “Dialogue on Green Economy for Sustainable and Equitable Future from the perspective of Japanese Civil Society” and “Challenges of Japanese Civil Society: Sustainable Community Development and Massages for SDGs”

UNU-ISP and Rio+20 NGO Forum Japan co-organized two side events at the Japan Pavilion in the occasion of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) . Dialogue on Green Economy for Sustainable and Equitable Future from the perspective of Japanese Civil Society was organized on 15 June 2012 and featured the keynote speech by Dr Rae Kwon Chung, Director of Environment and Development Division, ESCAP, and several presentations by Japanese NGO representatives. The second event entitled “Challenges of Japanese Civil Society: Sustainable Community Development and Massages for SDGs” was organized on 17 June 2012 and served as an opportunity to showcase the examples of sustainable community in Japan and Asia.

Symposium of International Day for Biological Diversity-Living with Bountiful Sea

Since the proclamation of 22 May as the International Day for Biological Diversity (IBD) by the United Nations, many commemorative ceremonies have been held all over the world on this day to increase awareness and understanding of biodiversity issues.

The United Nations University Institute for Sustainability and Peace (UNU-ISP) and the Ministry of the Environment Japan (MOEJ) hosted the Symposium on the International Day for Biological Diversity on the theme for this year, “Marine Biodiversity”, as a part of initiatives lead by UNU-ISP and MOEJ to support the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity.

Japan has enjoyed and developed with the significant blessings of the surrounding sea. This symposium served as an opportunity to raise awareness of biodiversity among the public and consider about people, ocean and sustainable use of oceanic resources through the presentations and discussions.



Overview
Date: 22 May 2012,
Location: Elizabeth Rose Hall, UNU Headquarters 5F, Tokyo, Japan
Organizer: UNU-ISP, MOEJ
Co-Organizers: Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (SCBD), Japan Committee for UNDB, Global Environmental Outreach Centre（GEOC）
Contact: geoc@unu.edu

“The Future We Want” After Rio+20 New Partnerships toward Green Economy and Society

This symposium will provide a forum to consider what forms of partnerships are necessary to tackle the issues of and challenges to comprehensive growth of the green economy and a society.

Building Resilience to Disasters in a post-Rio+20 world

The United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development was held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on 20-22 June, 2012 to discuss global environmental issues.

Flower and human life – Flower arrangement with wreckage from Tohoku disaster

Revitalize Japan. Bring a smile to a child’s face. With flowers, we can raise Japan’s spirits. The earthquake debris and Flowers installation displays can now be seen in the GEOC multi-purpose space from 1 May to 30 June, 2012.

2011-2020 United Nations Biodiversity Decade Launched in Kanazawa City, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan

The United Nations Decade on Biodiversity (UNDB) was launched in Kanazawa, Japan, on 17 December 2011.

Global Launching of the United Nations Decade on Biodiversity 2011-2020

Date: 17-19 December 2011 Location: Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan The event is intended to both promote public awareness of the United Nations Decade on Biodiversity, and also to support developing countries implementation of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity.

Post-Earthquake Rebuilding Support Symposium

In response to the massive earthquake and tsunami which hit Northeastern Japan, UNU-ISP hosted a symposium to address ways to rebuild, and also explore the possibilities for environmentally friendly sustainable policies.

Message of Satoyama Governors’ Summit : Towards sustainable use of satoyama/satoumi landscapes and regional revitalization

Satoyama and satoumi landscapes are socio-ecological systems in Japan which have been shaped by centuries of interaction between locally-specific activities and lifestyles and a rich natural environment. At the same time, they represent irreplaceable cultural landscapes, intimately linked with the identity of the Japanese people, and important regional assets that need to be safeguarded for future generations.

GEOC Holds Governors’ Biodiversity Summits at COP10 in Nagoya

Two governors’ summits focusing on the socio-ecological systems known as satoyama (terrestrial) and satoumi (coastal) landscapes were convened on October 19 and 20 in Nagoya by the United Nations University (UNU), the Global Environment Outreach Center (GEOC) and the Ministry of the Environment of Japan (MOE).