2024.07.16

Participation in Side Events at the United Nations High-Level Political Forum

Professor Miki Sugimura, the head of the Sophia University UNESCO Chair, participated in two side events at the “United Nations High-Level Political Forum” held from July 8 to 17, 2024.

1. Participation in the “Higher Education Sustainability Initiative (HESI)”

On July 15, 2024, Professor Miki Sugimura participated in the HESI (Higher Education Sustainability Initiative) panel, a side event of the United Nations High-Level Political Forum held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. The panel discussed the role of higher education institutions in achieving the SDGs. This year, the United Nations University Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability (UNU-IAS) was selected as a co-chair of HESI, providing an opportunity for Japanese universities to participate. The panel discussed the transformative role of higher education. In her presentation, Professor Sugimura highlighted the initiatives of Japanese universities, such as the “SDG University Platform (SDG-UP)” managed by UNU-IAS, of which Sophia University is a member, and the “Asia-Pacific Network for Environment and Sustainability (ProSPER.Net)” developed under UNU-IAS. She emphasized the importance of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in higher education and the significance of international collaboration and networks.

Related Links

• SDG-UP Website
• ProSPER.Net Website

2. Participation in the Panel Hosted by UNESCO International Institute for Higher Education in Latin America and the Caribbean (IESALC)

On the morning of July 15, Professor Sugimura also participated in a panel hosted by the UNESCO International Institute for Higher Education in Latin America and the Caribbean (IESALC) at the German Consulate in New York. The panel discussed the theme “Whole Institute Approach to SDGs.” This event coincided with the launch of the “Sustainability Evaluation Tool for Higher Education Institutions (SET4HEI)” (https://set4hei.org/self-assessment/), introducing new indicators for evaluating the engagement of higher education institutions in achieving the SDGs.

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