3rd Public Private Forum on Beyond SDGs: Forum Report 【Opening】
On July 3, 2026, the “3rd Public Private Forum on Beyond SDGs Forum” was held at the United Nations University as a venue for an interim report on discussions to synthesize recommendations toward international visions beyond 2030. In the opening remarks, Toru Udagawa, Director at the Office for Promotion of Regional Revitalization, Cabinet Office, reflected on past initiatives regarding Regional Revitalization SDGs while introducing the “Beyond GDP” prototype presented by the UN High-Level Expert Group. Following this, Takuma Miyaji, Chairman of the Committee on Environment, House of Representatives, spoke as a guest regarding Japan’s responsibility and potential to play a central role in international rule-making in Beyond SDGs.
Opening Remarks by Organizer
Toru Udagawa (Director, Office for Promotion of Regional Revitalization, Cabinet Office / Director, Public Private Forum on Beyond SDGs)
My name is Toru Udagawa, Counsellor for Regional Revitalization SDGs at the Regional Revitalization Promotion Office, Cabinet Office. Thank you very much for gathering in such large numbers today despite your busy schedules. First, on the occasion of holding this meeting, I would like to express my sincere gratitude for the tremendous efforts of Professor Kanie of Keio University, the Secretariat, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and all related parties.
Following the adoption of the “2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development” and the “Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)” at the United Nations in September 2015, the Cabinet Office has been working to promote and expand the SDGs to local regions—primarily focusing on “Regional Revitalization Powered by the SDGs”—through various measures including SDGs Future Cities, based on the “SDGs Guiding Principles” formulated in December 2016. Thanks to everyone’s support, as highlighted in the Voluntary National Review—the so-called VNR report—published by the Japanese government in July last year, the proportion of local governments answering that they are working toward achieving Regional Revitalization SDGs was merely 1% out of approximately 1,800 municipalities nationwide in FY2017, but progressed to 66.5% in FY2024 with the cooperation of many local governments.
As Keita Takahashi, Director of the Global Issues Cooperation Division at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, mentioned at the previous forum, I believe a key feature of SDG promotion in Japan lies in its multi-stakeholder approach. I feel that having local governments and local residents participate in SDG activities in diverse ways will drive these initiatives forward even further.
In April this year, we formulated the “Basic Concept for Promoting Regional Revitalization SDGs Through the Participation of Diverse Stakeholders”*1 and published it on the Cabinet Office website. This “Basic Concept” is a booklet that clearly summarizes perspectives, ideas, and creative approaches so that everyone involved in ecosystem activities can utilize it when facing challenges. I hope you will take a look at it.
Ahead of intergovernmental negotiations on the Beyond 2030 Agenda—including the post-SDGs—starting in September 2027, I understand that working groups based on the Six Entry Points have been established within this Public Private Forum, and discussions are progressing among many experts. In May this year, the UN High-Level Expert Group presented a “Beyond GDP” prototype featuring four perspectives: (1) fundamental principles, (2) current well-being reflecting people’s lived realities, (3) equity and inclusiveness, and (4) securing sustainability and resilience for future generations.
Referencing the diverse discussions in this Public Private Forum on Beyond SDGs, we will also continue working in collaboration with local governments to enhance regional well-being as a whole and secure sustainability and resilience.
Guest Remarks
Takuma Miyaji (Chairman of the Committee on Environment / House of Representatives, Member of the House of Representatives, LDP)
In 2025, when I presented the VNR at UN Headquarters as State Minister for Foreign Affairs, I received cooperation from Professor Norichika Kanie, who was one of our team members, as well as Mr. Yoichi Oda and Mrs. Yuriko Oda. Among the numerous countries presenting their VNRs, Japan’s presentation received the loudest applause. Unlike other nations where government representatives merely read from a script, I feel we were able to communicate sustainable and expansive initiatives to the world—featuring remarks from Professor Kanie, insights from Mrs. Oda, who built mechanisms to transform society as an active individual using a wheelchair, and the involvement of the youth generation.
Sustainability connects across generations. My daughter, an elementary school student who just celebrated her 12th birthday yesterday, learns about the SDGs at school, and related articles frequently appear in children’s newspapers. I believe there is no other country where the SDGs exist as naturally from early childhood. It can be said that our nation has set an example for the world in promoting this awareness.
On the other hand, due to the U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, as well as exclusionist movements and conflicts across various parts of the world, sustainable development is said to be in crisis, and reports indicate that achieving the 2030 targets will be difficult.
That is precisely why this Public Private Forum on Beyond SDGs is so crucial. Japan’s initiatives have not been driven solely by the public sector, but have been carried out across various levels—including local municipalities, such as remote islands in Kagoshima and depopulated or secluded municipalities, as well as the private sector and education. While major powers are said to be turning their backs on these movements, I believe our nation possesses both the responsibility and the right to demonstrate what lies beyond the initiatives we have cultivated so far.
It has often been said that our nation is not adept at rule-making, but I am convinced that Beyond SDGs presents us with the opportunity to stand at its very center. No one yet knows what kind of world lies beyond the SDGs or how our nation can shape those rules. That is precisely why I believe there are immense possibilities. I hope that this gathering today will serve as a step toward giving form to those possibilities.
Photo: Tokuhiro Watari
Coverage: Impress Sustainable Lab “SDGs White Paper” Editorial Department
Graphic Recording: Sayaka Taniko (GREAT WORKS)
Click here for the 3rd Public Private Forum on Beyond SDGs: Forum Report 【Keynote Speech】
Click here for the 3rd Public Private Forum on Beyond SDGs: Forum Report 【Working Group Activity Report】