SDGs and Role of Academic Community
Special Symposium for the UNU 40th Anniversary
Implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
November 6, 2015
United Nations University Headquarters

Miki Sugimura
Vice President for Academic Exchange
Sophia UniversityOutline
1. SDGs and Roles of Academic Institutes

2. Development of International HigherEducation
1) Cultural connectivity in the context of Higher Education
2) Possibility of Trans-disciplinary approach

3. Case Study
4. Significance of International Higher
Education as cultural connectivity forthe SDGs

SDGs and Roles of AcademicInstitutes
1) Human Resource and Capacity Building2) Curriculum Development
3) Research Development
4) Academic Contribution to Society

Solving Issues fromMulti-disciplinary Approachfor the SDGs

Cultural Connectivity in the contextof Higher Education
Internationalization of Higher Education(HE) Diversification of HE with cross-border programmobility (students, staff, program, institution)

Formation of Education Hub
 Formation of NetworkHigher Education Program as CulturalConnectivity---- a possibility of trans-disciplinary approach・Separate Approach of Natural/Social/HumanSciences

・Trans-disciplinary approach---theme-based, evidence-based---cross-border global issues related with manycountries and regions---necessity of cooperation in network

United Nations University
 global think tank and postgraduate program to contribute, through collaborative research,education and capacity building to efforts to resolve the pressing global
problems of human survival, development
and welfare that are the concern of theUnited Nations, its Peoples and MemberStates.
 a bridge between the international academic
community and the United Nations system.

Sophia University
Private Jesuit University celebrated 100th Anniversary in 2013
 Long history of offering English-based programs
 Annually welcomes about 1,100 international students frommore than 60 countries
 251 Partner Universities in 50 countries
------ Connecting Academic Hub with CulturalDiversity------”Men and Women for Others with Others”------“Sophia bringing the World Together”

Lecture---The Case of Sophia ASEAN International
Mobility for Students Program
Environmental Science Conservation
 Sustainable Development
 Urban Ecology
 Environmental Change and Human Development
 A Critical Approach to Sustainable City
 Introduction to Trans-Disciplinary Human
Development (TDHD)
Introduction to Trans-Disciplinary Human
Development (TDHD) ｂｙ Sophia University
Title and content
1Introduction

2

Science, Nature, Culture: Complexity of human society and natural environment3

Seafood, Seascape, Shifting baseline: human-and-sea relations & technology

4

Why does global hunger persist?: Poverty and global food economy

5

What is WFP?: Tasks of World Food Programe

6

Environmental conservation: Ecological characteristics in Japan and disturbance7

Chemical ecology: How organisms communicate with their environment

8

Water resources : Values of multi-dimensional water

9

Aquatic ecosystem: Physical processes in marine and freshwater systems

10

Impact on water environment by Urbanization: Flood risk and water quality

11

City and sustainability: Environmental and cultural sustainability of cities

12

Education for sustainability 1: Global warming through workshop

13

Education for sustainability 2

14

Workshop for summing up

Active Learning Providing the Asia-centric themes


SATOYAMA concept

Water resources in Asian regions

Sustainable water use of irrigation

Japanese economic development andaccompanied problems
Conservation dilemma

Lessons learnt for the coming era

field trips
Rice planting (2014 spring)
Sumiyaki (2014 autumn)

Fieldwork
Fieldwork Seminar: Human Ecology “Rivers”✔Two-week intensive course for further learningof TDHD✔the seminar focused on the ecological system
of Kushiro river, Kushiro Wetland, andAkkeshi Bay in Eastern Hokkaido.

Significance of International Higher Education
as cultural connectivity for the SDGs
International Higher Education’s new function
for cultural connectivity--- brining young leaders together beyond
national boundaries--- thinking together about cross-fields issues fromthe multi-disciplinary approach

Preparing for an academic platform to discussand to cooperate together(ex) UNU and Sophia---MOU for Academic CreditTransfer