Okayama University Representatives Participate in UNESCO 75th Anniversary Forum, Exchange Views with Director-General

President Yasutomo Nasu and Vice President Atsufumi Yokoi (in charge of Global Engagement), a UNESCO Chair holder from Okayama University, were invited to and participated in the 75th Anniversary Forum of Japan's Accession to UNESCO. The event was held on May 20, 2026, at the United Nations University (UNU) in Tokyo and co-hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), the Japanese National Commission for UNESCO, and UNU.

Since April, President Nasu has served as the chairman of the Okayama ESD Promotion Commission, which promotes the Regional Centre of Expertise on Education for Sustainable Development (RCE), accredited by the UNU Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability (UNU-IAS). Vice President Yokoi is active as Asia's first UNESCO Chair holder in ESD. During the forum, they had the opportunity to meet with His Excellency Khaled El-Enany, Director-General of UNESCO, and exchanged views on the future of higher education and responses to global challenges.

Prior to the forum, UNESCO and UNU signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), confirming the strengthening of their partnership. In this context, President Nasu and Vice President Yokoi also held dialogues with UNU Rector Tshilidzi Marwala and UNU-IAS Director Shinobu Yamaguchi. Okayama University and UNU signed an international exchange agreement last October, and expectations are now set for further strengthening the trilateral relationship among UNESCO, UNU, and Okayama University.

Under its vision of "Co-creating Futures for Humanity and Planetary Well-being," Okayama University will continue to deepen this collaboration, translating shared ideals into meaningful impact and contributing to the realization of a sustainable society.