On May 27, Vice President Atsufumi Yokoi (Global Engagement) and UNESCO Chairholder, together with Associate Professor Kosuke Ikeda of the Institute for Academic and Research (Common Education and Global Area), visited the Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific of UN Tourism in Nara City.

The Okayama University delegation held discussions with Deputy Director Chiaki Oya and Assistant Director for International Affairs Takahisa Ishizaki.
Associate Professor Ikeya, who has newly assumed the role of Accessibility Lead of the Okayama University UNESCO Chair from this fiscal year, introduced initiatives related to accessible tourism in World Heritage areas and outdoor barrier-free project plans being promoted in collaboration with several municipalities.
UN Tourism introduced its initiatives on accessible tourism, including the International Network of Sustainable Tourism Observatories (INSTO) and examples of good practices on accessibility in natural areas and the development of inclusive tourism. The participants exchanged views on policies attracting international attention.

Vice President Yokoi proposed collaboration with Okayama University through sustainable accessible tourism initiatives based on the “Global Code of Ethics for Tourism,” adopted by UN Tourism in 1999. He noted that the Okayama region is also home to Japan’s first Regional Centre of Expertise on Education for Sustainable Development (RCE). Deputy Director Oya emphasized the importance of widely disseminating the initiatives of UN agencies to society and expressed interest in future cooperation.

Okayama University will continue to promote Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), which forms the foundation for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as a distinctive feature of its education, and advance initiatives to build more integrated partnerships with local and international communities.