On December 19, President Yasuto Nasu participated in the Presidents’ Roundtable of the SDG University Platform (SDG-UP), held at the United Nations University Annex Space in Tokyo. The roundtable was organized as part of the SDG University Platform initiative, bringing together presidents from national, public, and private universities to discuss university governance and management approaches for building a sustainable society. This marked the second roundtable session of its kind.

The discussion was moderated by Professor Shinobu Yamaguchi, Director of the United Nations University Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability (UNU-IAS). Participating presidents included President Miki Sugimura of Sophia University, President Hiroyuki Sakuragi of Osaka Metropolitan University, and President Nasu of Okayama University.

The overarching theme of the roundtable was “Strengthening University Management Capacity Based on the Pursuit of the SDGs.” The dialogue was structured around three perspectives. Under Strategy and Governance, the presidents discussed leadership challenges and strategies for overcoming obstacles in promoting the SDGs from a top management standpoint. Under Engagement, they shared practical approaches and examples of involving students and faculty members, strengthening connections with local communities, and enhancing inter-university collaboration. Under Beyond SDGs, they examined how universities can contribute toward achieving the SDGs by 2030 and what roles higher education institutions should play beyond that milestone.

Through the exchange, participants introduced their respective institutional initiatives and engaged in dialogue from the perspective of university management and leadership.

In her concluding remarks, Professor Yamaguchi noted that the discussion highlighted three key insights: how to connect universities’ long-term visions to societal well-being; the importance of multi-level co-creation that merges interdisciplinary collaboration in new ways; and the need for meaningful engagement that enables students and youth to participate in organizational decision-making processes.

Okayama University will continue to deepen and expand inter-university collaboration through the SDG-UP initiative and actively disseminate Japan’s efforts to the global community.