What’s GEA?

Message from the ChairCountries throughout the world have been experiencing frequent, severe
damage from abnormal weather events. In those countries and regions that are
affected by forest fires resulting from heatwaves, by drought, by floods resulting
from torrential rains, by landslides, or by the risk of inundation due to rising
sea levels, not only is the scale of natural disasters increasing year by year,
the impact on disaster-affected areas is so severe that one can hardly bear toview it. All of this is due to dependence on fossil fuels such as petroleum, coaland natural gas as energy sources to support the flourishing economic activityof humanity as a whole. The burning of these fossil fuels leads to immense
emissions of carbon gases which, as greenhouse gases, have brought about
global warming and climate change.
The Japanese government has announced to the world its determination tobuild a carbon-neutral society, with net zero greenhouse gas emissions, by 2050.
We thus have an obligation to fulfil the undertaking that we have made to theinternational community. Fortunately, as can be seen from thecoming into effect of the Paris Agreement, in today’s world
it is commonly accepted that, without progress in terms ofinternational agreements, it will not be possible to resolve theissues affecting the global environment, which constitutes thefoundation for the survival of humanity. At the 26th sessionof the Conference of the Parities to the United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP26), in which
representatives of 196 countries and regions took part, thedeveloped economies such as the US, Japan and the EU,
asked the emerging and developing economies (particularly
countries such as China and India which have achieved particularly impressive
economic development) to further increase their emissions reduction targets. In
response, the developed economies were asked to provide funding support forenvironmental initiatives. Island countries that are concerned about the risk ofinundation (such as the Maldives and Barbados) asked not only the developed
economies but also the emerging economies and developing economies totake appropriate measures speedily and to ensure that their response to climatechange does not come too late. In any case, it was apparent from COP26 that
there was a clear awareness that the problem of global warming could not be
solved without international collaboration in which every country in the world
works together to implement decarbonization. It goes without saying thatsafeguarding the global environment, which is the foundation for the survival of
humanity, is an issue that must be prioritized above all others. GEA has beenworking seriously for over 31 years to address the problems affecting the global
environment, as a cross-party organization that brings together influential
lawmakers of all affiliations and others from the worlds of business, academia
and government who share the same vision.
GEA has been highly praised as an organization that is working to influence
global public opinion in a positive direction, particularly through the holding of the
GEA International Conference once every two years, and in 1999 GEA received
the Global 500 Roll of Honour award from UNEP. Going forward, we will continue
to strengthen our efforts to contribute toward solving global environmental
problems, and your cooperation and support is deeply appreciated.

Shunichi
Yamaguchi
Sixth Chair,
Global Environmental Action

In 1991, during the run-up to the “UN Conference on Environment and Development” (UNCED),
also known as the Earth Summit, it was becoming clear that the Conference’s success dependedon raising the funds necessary to achieve the preservation of the global environment and sustainable development. In response to a request from UNCED Secretary-General Maurice Strong, anInternational Eminent Persons’ Meeting on Financing Global Environment was convened in Tokyo,
bringing together former United States President Jimmy Carter and other persons of key standing, with former Prime Minister Noboru Takeshita playing the main role in organizing the event.
The outcomes of this meeting contributed enormously to the success of the Earth Summit. GEA’s
origins stem from this eminent Persons’ Meeting and GEA is now a non-governmental organization, founded by former Prime Minster Noboru Takeshita, which counts among its members
the Japanese Eminent Persons who worked to bring about the initial convening of the Eminent
Persons’ Meeting, Diet members regardless of factional affiliation, and other persons of influence
from government, industry, and academia. The founding Chair was former Prime Minister Noboru
Takeshita, who was succeeded by former Prime Minister Toshiki Kaifu, Gaishi Hiraiwa, Honorary
Chairman of Japan Federation of Economic Organizations (Keidanren), and Juro Saito, former
parliamentarian. The current Chair is Wataru Takeshita, House of Representatives lawmaker andformer Minister for Reconstruction. In addition, Mr. Jimmy Carter, 39th president of the UnitedStates, and Mr. José Maria Figueres, former president of the Republic of Costa Rica, serve as
GEA’s international advisors.
In 1999, the GEA received the Global 500 Roll of Honour from United Nations Environment
Programme (UNEP) for its contribution to the international community for many years in the areaof global environment and sustainable development.
GEA regularly organizes international conferences to which it invites representatives of worldleading research institutes and international organizations, and individuals with influence overinternational public opinion. Through these conferences, GEA aims to highlight the state of the
global environment and the crisis it is facing. At the same time, GEA works to raise internationalawareness about proposals adopted at its conferences.

Structure of GEA

First Chair

Noboru Takeshita

Second Chair

Toshiki Kaifu

Third Chair

Gaishi Hiraiwa

Fourth Chair

Juro Saito

Organizing Committee of GEA
Supporting Ministries
Ministry of
the Environment

Ministry of Economy,
Trade and Industry

Ministry ofForeign Affairs

Ministry of Agriculture,
Forestry and Fisheries

Ministry of Education,
Culture, Sports, Scienceand Technology

Ministry of Land,
Infrastructure,
Transport and Tourism

Director General
Executive Director
Counselor

Secretariat

Fifth Chair

Wataru Takeshita

Kayoko Shimizu
Tsunemi Yasumoto
Satoko Kiriyama

1Members of the Organizing Committee of

Deputy
Chair

Chair

GEA

International
Advisors

Shunichi Yamaguchi

Yuko Obuchi

Member, House ofRepresentatives
Former Minister ofState for Special
Missions, Japan

Member, House ofRepresentatives
Former Minister of
Economy, Trade andIndustry, Japan

Jimmy Carter José María Figueres
Thirty-ninth
President of theUnited States ofAmerica

Former President,
Republic of Costa
Rica

Shuichi Katoh Yuriko Koike Hikaru Kobayashi Tetsuo Saito Hirohisa Sato Yusuke Saraya Jun Sawada Takashi Shinohara
Former SeniorVice Minister of theEnvironment, Japan
Former Vice Chair,
GEA

Tokyo Metropolitan
Governor
Former Minister ofthe Environment,
Japan

Former Vice-Minister ofMember, House of
Chairman andthe Environment, Japan
Representatives; Minister
Representative
Former Professor, Graduate of Land, Infrastructure, Director, BALNIBARBI
School of Keio University
Transport and Tourism,
Co., Ltd.
(SFC), Visiting Professor,
Former Minister of thethe University of Tokyo
Environment, Japan

President andCEO, SARAYA Co.,
Ltd.

Chairman,Member, House ofRepresentative Member Representatives; Formerof the Board, Nippon
Senior Vice Minister ofTelegraph andAgriculture, Forestry
Telephone Corporation
and Fisheries, Japan

SeniorAdvisors

Tomiichi Murayama

Juro Saito

Mikio Aoki

Kichiro Matsumoto Isao Kurauchi

Shozaburo Jimi Hirotaka Sugiyama Shunichi Suzuki Ulrik STRIDBÆKGen Sudo

Kazuo Sumi Kazuhiko Takemoto Seiko Noda

Former Prime
Minister, Japan

Former Chair, GEA
Former-President,
House of Councillors,
Japan

Former Chief
Cabinet Secretary,Japan

President, Japan
Medical Association

Former Minister of State
for Postal Reform and
Financial Services
Former Minister of Posts
and Telecommunications,Japan

President andRepresentative
Director, Nihon
Michelin Tire Co.,
Ltd.

Chairman and
Representative
Director, Hankyu
Corporation

AdvisorPresident, Japan
Veterinary Medical
Association

Chairman of theBoard, Mitsubishi
Estate Co., Ltd.

Member, House ofRepresentatives
Minister of Finance
Former Minister ofthe Environment,
Japan

Vice President, Group
Regulatory Affairs,
OrstedVisiting Professor,
Member, House of
UNU Institute for the
Representatives; Former
Advanced Study of
Minister of State for Special
Sustainability
Missions, Former Minister
Project Professor,
for Internal Affairs andthe University of Tokyo Communications, Japan

Vice Chair

Wakako Hironaka

Kuniko Inoguchi Shoichi Kondo Takashi Endo Kaneshige Wakamatsu

Former Minister ofState, Environment
Agency, Japan
Former Director
General, GEA

Member, House of
Member, House ofCouncillors
Representatives
Former Minister ofFormer Senior
State for Measures for Vice Minister of the
Declining Birthrate and Environment, Japan
Gender Equality, Japan

Member, House ofRepresentatives

Member, House ofCouncillors; Former
State Minister for
Reconstruction,
Japan

Motoo Hayashi Hajime Funada Yosuke Horiuchi
Member, House of
Member, House ofRepresentatives
Representatives
Former Minister ofFormer Minister of
Economy, Trade andState, Economic
Industry, Japan
Planning Agency, Japan

Representative
Director, Vice
Chairman,and Executive
Officer, Sekisui
House, Ltd.

Kee Miki
Member, House ofRepresentatives,
Japan

Yosuke Mitsuhara Akira Yanagimoto Makoto Yamazaki Koichi Yamamoto
President andCEO, Nihon ChouzaiCo., Ltd.

Member, House ofRepresentatives,
Japan

Member, House ofRepresentatives,
Japan

Former Minister ofthe Environment,
Japan

Supporting Members
Director
General2

Tokyo Gas Co., Ltd.
Tokyo Electric Power Company
Toyo Feather Industry Co., Ltd.
UNIPAC

Members

Kayoko Shimizu

Yukiyasu Aoyama Shozo Azuma Shinji Inoue Minoru Urushibata

Former Minister ofState, Environment
Agency, Japan

Senior Executive
Adviser, Sohgo
Security Services
Co., Ltd.

President, Chiba
Institute of Science
Former Vice Chair,
GEA

Member, House ofRepresentatives
Former Minister for theWorld EXPO 2025
Former Minister ofState for Special
Missions, Japan

Adviser, Japan
Pharmaceutical
Association

Ryoichi Yamamoto Yoshitake Yokokura Toyofumi Yoshida Masayoshi Yoshino

Professor Emeritus, Honorary Chairman,
the University of TokyoJapan Medical
Chairperson, Tokyo
Association
Metropolitan Public
University Corporation

Member, House ofRepresentatives,
Japan

Member, House ofRepresentatives
Former Minister for
Reconstruction,Japan

As of October, 2022

3

Activities of GEA

1991
1992
1991 Feb.

Mar.

Their Imperial Highnesses
the Crown Prince
Naruhito and the Crown
Princess Masako

Noboru Takeshita, Former Prime
Minister of Japan

Participates in Rio Summit(United Nations Conference on Environment and Development)

1994~95“Tokyo Conference on Global Environmental Action” is held

- Tokyo Declaration 1994 is announced to the world, proposing strengthening ofinternational dialogue relating to sustainable development.

General conference

1995 Nov.

4“The Environmental Summit ’97 for Designated Cities” is held

- In collaboration with 12 government-designated cities in Japan, the Environment
Agency, Global Environmental Action, and UNEP *1 International Environment
Technology Center jointly issue the “Environmental Declaration by GovernmentDesignated Cities” to outline ideas and directions for reforming large cities topromote environmental conservation for the new century.

Participates in COP3* 3 in Kyoto : GEA organizes “Japan Day”
- Japan’s efforts totackle environmental
problems are outlinedin the presence ofprominent figures fromdifferent countries
around the world.

1998
1999
1998 Jun.

Conference hall of COP3

GEA Chair Gaishi Hiraiwa chatswith “Japan Day” participants“Workshop on Responses to Climate Change in Northeast Asia” is held
- Long-term strategies for climate change are formulated, based on a study on
optimum technology and projects for the Northeast Asia region.

Nov.

1999 Jun.

Participates in COP4 in Buenos Aires, Argentina“World Conference on Global Commons, Japan ’99” is held

- Held in collaboration with the UNDESA.*4- The “Tokyo Declaration” is adopted, presenting various measures to reinforce
international efforts to address global environmental problems.

Their Imperial Highnesses the Crown Prince
Naruhito and the Crown Princess Masako

Progress of the conference

The organization is named “Global Environmental Action”

1997
1997 Jan.

Dec.

“Eminent Persons’ Meeting on Financing Global Environment andDevelopment” is held

-The result of “Eminent Persons’ Meeting on Financing Global Environment andDevelopment” is announced at the Special Session.

1994 Oct.

Chairperson for the wholeconference,
Brigitta Dahl, Speaker of
the Swedish Parliament

Albert Gore, Jr.,Vice President of
the United States of America- In his opening speech, the prime minister pointed out the need for a law to meetthe demands of the “new era of the global environment.” This led to theenactment of the Basic Environment Law.
- Tokyo Declaration on Financing Global Environment and Development isannounced.

Jun.

- Held in collaboration with the UNDPCSD.* 2- Tokyo Declaration 1997 is announced at the Special Session of the United
Nations General Assembly.

Established as the secretariat of “Eminent
Persons’ Meeting on Financing Global
Environment and Development”- Established as an NGO to contribute to solving
global environmental problems and promoting
sustainable development.

1992 Apr.

“Global Partnership Summit on Environment” is held

Jun.

José Maria Figueres,
Former President of
Costa Rica, making a
special address

Keizo Obuchi, Prime
Minister of Japan

Granted the Global 500 Roll of Honour by UNEP

- GEA is awarded the Global 500 Role of Honour by UNEP. This award is bestowed
on individuals or organizations in recognition of outstanding contributions to
the protection and improvement of the environment forthe support of sustainable development.
GEA Chair Gaishi Hiraiwa (right),
receiving a medal from Klaus Topfer (left),
Executive Director of UNEP

5

Activities of

GEA

Oct.

1999
Oct.

“Conference on Global Environmental Crisis” is held

- The “Conference on Global Environmental Crisis,” involving participants fromvarious research institutes and international organizations and prominent individuals with influence on international public opinion, is held to alert and warn thepeople of the world about the many serious problems faced by the earth.
- The conference adopts proposals for promoting international dialogue on therealization of sustainable development and on approaches to making reforms tocultivate environmental partnerships.

Seminar on “Report from World
Conference on Global Commons,Japan ’99” is held at COP5 in Bonn

- The “Tokyo Declaration,” adopted at the “World
Conference on Global Commons, Japan ’99,” isannounced during the seminar.

H.I.H. the Crown Prince
Naruhito
Conference hall

Masahisa Aoki, Director-Generalof GEA

Nov.

2000
2000 May

Participates in the Millennium Forum(United Nations Head-quarter, New York)

Kazuo Aichi, Member, House ofRepresentatives, Japan“Global Environment 2000” is held

- The conference reviews the environmental
problems of the 20th century and looks at the
major global-scale environmental challenges of the
21st century, as well as measures for tackling them.

2001
2001 Jul.

6- A committee is established to organize a project designed to utilize the Internet
to support environmental NGOs in developing countries.

2002
2002 Aug.

Hosts “Japan Day” at the World Summit on
Sustainable Development in Johannesburg- Introduced Japan’s efforts to solve environmental
problems to the international community. Included
the showing of a video describing, and drawing
lessons from, Japan’s experience in realizing economic development while also overcoming terrible
pollution problems and the holding of a symposium
on water and forest problems.

2003
2003 Oct.

- GEA recommends the establishment ofan Internet-based environmental foundation, andobtains support for this proposal at the forum.

Oct.

International Advisory Committee for Virtual Globe is formed“Fureai Shizen-Juku (Nature School) Symposium” is held

- “Fureai Shizen-Juku” (Nature School) is a facility for environmental study,
where people can enjoyably learn
about the importance of the naturalenvironment through observation ofnature, direct contact with animals
and plants, and living experiences.
After case studies in nature school
management at national and local
governmental facilities are presented
at the symposium, influential
individuals engage in discussions
Sukio Iwatare, DirectorC. W. Nicol andbased on the examples.
General of GEA
the children

From left, House ofRepresentatives Member Yoshio
Yatsu, former Prime Minister
Ryutaro Hashimoto“Conference for Sustainable Future: Education,
IT and Natural Resources” is held

- Placing the spotlight on education, information technology, and natural
resources, the conference discussed what can be done and what should be done
for the sake of a sustainable future. The adopted proposals were scheduled tobe reflected in the UNESCO Action Plan for the promotion of the UN Decade of
Education for Sustainable Development, proposed by the Japanese government
and adopted at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg.
Two other events were also held – the Eco Youth Conference just before the main
conference and a symposium on the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable
Development on the final day of the conference.

Members of the conference

Accredited with NGO special consultative status by
the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)

Robert T. Watson,
Chairman of IPCC

Prime Minister Junichiro
KoizumiGEA Chair
Juro Saito

Chairperson of the Eco
Youth Conference

Their Imperial Highnesses the
Crown Prince Naruhito and
the Crown Princess Masako
HRH Princess Basma bint Talal
Steven C. Rockefeller,of the Hashemite Kingdom of
Chairman of the Rockefeller
Jordan speaks at the symposium. Brothers Fund

7

Activities of

GEA

Jun.

GEA International Eco Youth Conference in
the Asia-Pacific Region- This conference was held as a related event of the Environment Congress for
Asia and the Pacific, an environment ministers’ meeting sponsored by the
Ministry of the Environment, with the objective of reviewing the state of progressof resolutions of the GEA International Eco Youth Conference held in 2003. The
conference brought together young people who are enthusiastically tacklingenvironmental problems in the Asia-Pacific region to discuss efforts to build anenvironment-oriented international community for sustainable development.

2003
2004

Start of the VG Secondhand Personal Computer Donation Program- As part of the Virtual Globe Project to support environmental NGOs, a secondhand PC donation program is started with the cooperation of NTT Corp. andMicrosoft Corp. As the first stage, a total of 600 secondhand PCs are donated toeducational institutions, including elementary, junior high, and senior high schools
in Ehime, Fukuoka, and Chiba Prefectures.

2004 Jul.

Sep.

Visit to Southeast Asia

- As part of efforts to promote the Decade of
Education for Sustainable Development,
proposed by Japan at the World Summit on
Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, a visit
was made to Asian countries to inspect projects
being undertaken by local environmental NGOs
and NPOs.

Scene of the conference

GEA Vice Chair Shozaburo Jimi (left)
and Vietnamese Prime Minister Phan
Van Khai (right)“Message from Asia on the UN Decade of Education for
Sustainable Development” seminar is held

Oct.

GEA International Conference ’05: Climate Change andIts Effect on Sustainable Development- This conference was held, with the participation of learned persons from Japanand overseas, to discuss the linkage of scientific opinion and policies relating to
the impact of climate change on sustainable development.
Their Imperial Highnesses
the Crown Prince Naruhito and
the Crown Princess Masako- Together with the Thailand-based Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), the GEA
held a joint seminar at the AIT with the participation of representatives of NGOs
and NPOs and international organizations active in Southeast Asia. The aims of
the seminar were to hear the opinions of people involved locally from the perspective of education forsustainable development(ESD), to spread ESD as apractical activity in the Asia
region, and to broaden thecircle of cooperation andsupport from the international community by transmitting a message about
From left: AIT President Jean-LouisGEA Vice Chair
the achievements of thisArmand, Advisor to the Prime Minister of
Wakako Hironaka
Thailand Krasae Chanawongse, anddelivers a keynote
campaign.

2005
2005 MayGEA Director General Kazuo Aichi

Environment Minister Yuriko Koike and participants

speech.

Start of Green Earth 21- The Green Earth 21 project to promote
environmental conservation activities
through music was started. On May
21 and 22 a charity concert was held
amid the grand nature of Aso-Kuju
National Park in Kumamoto Prefecturewith the participation of Hiroshi Itsuki,
Aki Yashiro, Tomomi Kahara, and otherartists.

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi

Dr. Paul Crutzen, who received the Nobel Prize in
Chemistry in 1995, delivers a keynote speech.

GEA Advisor Toshiki Kaifu and singer Hiroshi Itsuki
plant a tree at the foot of Mount Aso.

89

Activities of

2007

GEA

2007 Mar.

GEA Virtual Globe Environmental NPO/ NGO Evaluation Meeting- A report was delivered on the state of implementation of environmental preservation activities in developing countries by the Virtual Globe Project, which waslaunched in 2002, and their effects
were examined and evaluated.

2005

The Virtual Globe NGO Meeting: Internet use forvitalizing environmental conservation activities by NPOs and NGOs

- This meeting, participated inby Asian environmental NGOs
registered in the GEA’s Virtual
Globe Project to support NGOs indeveloping countries, discussed thepossibilities for using the Internet
for the promotion of environmental
conservation activities.

Participants at the GEA Virtual Globe Meeting

Oct.

Scene of the conference

Dec.

Participates in COP11 and MOP1* 5- The proposals of the GEA International Conference ’05: Climate Change and Its
Effect on Sustainable Development, held in October, were announced at a subevent of COP11 to the UNFCCC* 6 and MOP1 held in Montreal.

Richard Kinley, the officerin-charge at UNFCCC,
shakes hands with
Hiroshi Ohki, Director
General of GEA.

GEA International Conference ’07: Policy Approaches for
Realizing a Sustainable Future — Building a New Framework on
Climate Change- Ahead of the G8 Hokkaido Toyako Summit that will be held in Japan in 2008,
eminent persons from Japan and overseas were invited to discuss policy
approaches centered on the problem of climate change. The Special Lecture
was delivered by Dr. Rajendra Pachauri, Chair of the Intergovernmental Panelon Climate Change (IPCC), which, together with former US Vice-President Al
Gore, was awarded the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize. Also, on the day before theconference, the GEA, together with the World Economic Forum (WEF) and theWorld Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), held a Private
Roundtable on Climate Change Policy and Japan.

GEA Director General
Hiroshi Ohki announcing
the proposals of the GEA
International
Conference ’05.

2006

Scene of the GEA International Conference

Scene of the COP11 conference

2006 Jun.

Virtual Globe Environmental NPO/NGO Meeting- Following on from the NGO meeting in 2005, this meeting invited environmental
NGOs in developing countries that are promoting environmental conservation
activities in Asia to discuss more effective and concrete methods of support inorder to further activate the environmental conservation activities in each region.

Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change (IPCC) Rajendra. K. Pachauri at
the Special Lecture

NGO meeting
participants
attend a lecture
about Eco Asia.
His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince Naruhito

Participants with GEA members

10

Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda

At the meeting11

Activities of

2010

GEA

2010 Sep.

2008
2008 May

2009
2009 Oct.

Panel Discussion

Oct.

Panelists with the participants from six Asian countries

GEA International Conference ’09: Promoting Technologies andPolicies toward a Low-carbon Society

H.I.H. the Crown Prince Naruhito

The Result Report at a COP10 side event- The results of the GEA symposium are reported at a Conference on Biological
Diversity (CBD) and education for sustainable development organized by theJapan Asia-Pacific Committee for Earth Charter. Policy proposals for the Nagoya
Protocol are submitted at the Legislators’ Meeting on Biodiversity hosted by the
Secretariat of the COP10 to the CBD, Ministry of the Environment and GLOBEInternational.

- At the United Nations Summit on Climate Change in September, then Prime
Minister Yukio Hatoyama declared that Japan will reduce greenhouse gas emissions
by 25 percent by 2020 from the 1992 level. This year’s GEA International Conference
discussed science and technologies that would be effective to realize a low-carbon
society and policies that should be adopted to promote its progress. Along with thisconference, Asia’s major environmental organizations were invited from five countries– Nepal, Thailand, the Philippines, India and Sri Lanka – for the Asia NPO/NGO
International Conference. The application of innovative environmental technology tomeet the conditions in Asia and its regional partnerships was discussed there. The
results of the conference were delivered to COP15’s related meeting and contributed
to rouse international public opinion to guide practical actions.

Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama

2011
2011 Oct.

GEA International Conference 2011: “Building Sustainable
Societies through Reconstruction: Working with the International
Community for Regenerating Japan’’- Japanese and international experts discussed future directions for a new Japanafter the Great East Japan Earthquake, reviewing a lifestyle based on mass
production and consumption. Adnan Z. Amin, director general of the International
Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), delivered a keynote speech at the opening
ceremony, and said renewable energy would be essential for Japan to reconstruct
the devastated areas and could play a vital role in opening a new path toward
long-term growth. GEA makes efforts to translate the conference outcomes intomeaningful policy proposals and effective measures, and reports the results at
various international conferences such as Rio+20 in Brazil.

His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince Naruhito

His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince Naruhito

Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda

Adnan Z. Amin, Director General of theInternational Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA)
delivering a keynote speech

President’s Counsil of Advisors
Emil Salim of Indonesia at theSpecial Lecture

Participants at the Asia NPO/NGO
International Conference12- Ahead of the 10th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP10) to theUnited Nations Convention on Biological Diversity to be held in Nagoya in
October, GEA organized a symposium under the theme of “Post-2010 Target
and Access to Genetic Resources andBenefit-Sharing (ABS): To Continue
Receiving the Benefits of Biodiversity
into the Future” and invited NPOs from
Asia and eminent persons from Japanand overseas to discuss settlement
procedures for the serious dichotomy
between countries for adopting aninternational protocol.

“Minamata International Environmental Seminar for
Realizing a Sustainable Society” is held
- Under the theme of “Learningfrom Japan’s Pollution Experience
and Creating a Bright Future,”
the GEA held in collaboration with
the Ministry of the Environment
and Minamata City, an internationalseminar with the participation ofNPOs and NGOs from six Asian
countries at Minamata City in
Kumamoto Prefecture.

“Conservation and Sustainable Use of Biodiversity” symposium is held

13

Activities of

GEA

2012
2012 Jun.

Earth” initiativeand expressed
his expectation ofJapan’s leadership.
The results of thisconference were
widely introduced at
a conference related
to the COP19, which
was held in Warsaw,
Poland, in November.

Rio+20 — United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development- On the sidelines of Rio+20 Conference in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, a Japan Day
seminar was held in the Japan Pavilion on June 20, 2012. A summary of the activities and outcomes of the GEA International Conference 2011 was reported at
the first session and a panel discussion was held at the third session to debate
on climate change countermeasures. Several meetings with executives ofinternational organizations, including Executive Secretary for the Convention
on Biological Diversity
Braulio Ferreira de Souza
Dias and Vice Presidentof the Asian Development
Bank Bindu N. Lohani,
were arranged along withthe conference.

Dr. Yuan Tseh Lee(Nobel Laureate in Chemistry, 1986)2014
2014 July

2013
2013 Oct.

Hiroshi Ohki, Advisor of GEA,
participating ina panel discussion- Based on the results of Rio+20,
initiatives aimed at realizing asustainable future were discussed
at this conference. At the opening
ceremony, Dr. Yuan Tseh Lee,
President of the International
Council for Science (ICSU) andthe Nobel Laureate in Chemistry(1986), gave a keynote speech on
the theme of the “Transformation
for a Sustainable Future.” In the
speech, he introduced the “Future

14

From left: Wakako Hironaka,
Director General of GEA; Braulio
Ferreira de Sauza Dias, Executive
Secretary for the Convention on
Biological Diversity; Hiroshi Ohki,
Advisor of GEA

GEA International Conference 2013: “Advancing from Rio + 20
toward a Sustainable Future: Economic Revitalization andContribution to the International Society through Green Economy”

Their Imperial Highnesses the Crown Prince Naruhito
and the Crown Princess Masako

Visit to Taiwan by the GEA delegates on invitation from theGovernment of the Republic of China (Taiwan)- Having Wakako Hironaka, GEA Director General, as the leader of the delegation,
as well as Koichi Yamamoto, GEA Vice Chair, Shoichi Kondo, GEA Vice Chair
and Shunichi Suzuki, former Minister of the Environment, as the deputy leaders,the GEA delegates visited Taipei City and had a meeting with key local figures
such as Ma Ying-jeou, President of the Republic of China, Lin Yung-lo, Ministerof Foreign Affairs, and Shin-Cheng Yeh, Deputy Minister of Environmental
Protection Administration. In the meeting, the delegates expressed their gratitude
for the prompt support provided by Taiwan following the Great East Japan
Earthquake. They also
exchanged opinions
regarding bilateral
cooperation mainlyin the environmental
field and confirmedthat both parties
would make efforts
to promote JapanTaiwan environmental
cooperation.

Rio+20 Japan Pavilion

GEA Director General Wakako
Hironaka announcing theoutcomes of the GEA
International Conference ’11

Katsunobu Kato, Deputy Chief
Cabinet Secretary(On behalf of Prime Minister
Shinzo Abe)

Meeting with Ma Ying-jeou,
President of the Republic ofChina (Taiwan)

Nov.

The ESD seminar was held on the sideline of the UNESCO World
Conference- As part of the UNESCO World Conference on Educationfor Sustainable Development (ESD), which took place from
November 10–12 in Nagoya, a seminar was jointly heldwith the Earth Charter, Asia Pacific & Japan Committee,
for which Director General Hironaka serves as therepresentative. Dr. Shin-Cheng Yeh, Deputy Minister for
Environmental Protection Administration, R.O.C. (Taiwan),
was invited as a special guest, and a presentation on“The role of the Earth Charter in the framework of
Education for Sustainable Development, accomplishments
and challenges” was given. The seminar was a great
success with a full audience.

Dr. Shin-Cheng Yeh,
Deputy Minister for
Environmental Protection
Administration,
R. O. C. (Taiwan)

15

Activities of

GEA

2015
2015 Oct.

- At the opening ceremony, Mr. Achim Steiner, Executive Director, United Nations
Environment Programme (UNEP), gave a keynote speech in the presence of Their
Imperial Highnesses the Crown Prince Naruhito and the Crown Princess Masako
and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. The Executive Director delivered a speech on thetheme of “The Power of Policy and Technology.” He stated, “The year 2015 has
been a very special year in which the international community is seeking to takea historic step. Now is precisely an opportunity for transformation and the lastchance for acting to achieve the goal of two degrees. We must decarbonize our
economies for future generations.”

UNEP Executive Director
Achim Steiner delivers
a keynote speech.

Nov. – Dec.

Their Imperial Highnesses the Crown Prince Naruhito
and the Crown Princess Masako

2017 Oct.

“Building a new strategy for realising a decarbonised society :transformation and action for a sustainable society”- Under the theme of the conference, “Realising a decarbonised society”, a
discussion was held with experts from around the world in the aim of creating a
new strategy to promote social change and behavior so that the Paris Agreement
can be realised. The opening ceremony was attended by Their Imperial
Highnesses the Crown Prince Naruhito and the Crown Princess Masako as well

GEA International Conference 2020: “Integration of the Environment
and Economy: Towards a Virtuous Cycle of Environment and Growth”

The conference was postponed from Marchto December due to the COVID-19 pandemic,
and was held for the first time as a hybrid eventthat combined in-person and virtual elements.
Conference participants discussed how we canovercome the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic thathas been spreading throughout the world to realize
a virtuous cycle that both protects the environmentand stimulates economic growth. At the opening
ceremony, in the presence of Their Imperial Majesties
the Emperor and the Empress, Prime Minister

Their Imperial Majesties theEmperor and the Empress

Yoshihide Suga gave a guest speechin which he outlined the measures
being adopted by the Japanese
government to realize a carbon
neutral society by 2050. This wasfollowed by the keynote speech,
given as a video message by Ms.
Inger Andersen, Executive Directorof UNEP, and by a commemorative
address by Mr. Akira Yoshino, theNobel Prize Laureate in Chemistry. In
Video speech by UNEP Executive Director Inger
her keynote speech, Ms. Anderson
Andersenthanked the Japanese government
for announcing an economic stimulus packageof 2 trillion yen to combat climate change, andexpressed the hope that Japan would play aleading role in this endeavor. In his address, Mr.
Yoshino outlined scenarios for using lithium-ion
batteries to help realize a sustainable society.

At the Japan Pavilion, the venue ofa side event of the COP21 in Paris.

Supports of the “International Forum for Sustainable Asia andthe Pacific (ISAP2016)” organized by the Institute for Global
Environmental Strategies (IGES) and the UNU-IAS* 7 in Yokohama

Keynote speaker
Laurence Tubiana

2020
2020 Dec.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe

2016 Jul.

Their Imperial Highnesses the Crown Prince Naruhito
and the Crown Princess Masako

as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, with a keynote speech given by Laurence Tubiana,
former Climate Change Ambassador of France and Special Representative forthe 2015 COP21 Climate Change Conference in Paris. The topic of the keynote
speech by Tubiana was “The path to deep decarbonisation” in which she stated,“We need to create a fulfilling zero-carbon future for all, with all, and I lookforward to action by Japan.”The outcomes of the GEA
International Conference 2015
are reported at the Japan
Pavilion, the venue of a side
event of the COP21 in Paris

2016
2017
16

Prime Minister
Shinzo Abe

GEA International Conference 2015: “Policies and Measures to
Cope with Climate Change and towards a Sustainable Society”

Prime Minister
Yoshihide Suga

Commemorative
address by Mr.
Akira Yoshino*1 UNEP= United Nations Environment Programme*2 UNDPCSD= United Nations Department of Policy Coordination andSustainable Development*3 COP= Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change

GEA Chair
Wataru Takeshita*4 UNDESA= United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs*5 MOP= Meeting of the Parties*6 UNFCCC= United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change*7 UNU-IAS= United Nations University Institute for the Advanced Studyof Sustainability

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