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Closing Session
ONO Hiroshi, Executive Director of IGES, expressed his gratitude to the around 150 venue attendees, the more than 500 cumulative online participants at ISAP2026 Plenary sessions. He also thanked the various supporting organisations, including Hyogo Prefecture, for their assistance with the event. He then reflected on the plenary sessions, highlighting the following three points:
First, he reiterated the importance of the overall theme of this year's ISAP, which was synergy. He stated that addressing complex and diverse issues individually is difficult from the perspective of time and resources, and that he strongly felt the need for the ability to resolve environmental, socioeconomic, security and infrastructure issues simultaneously in an integrated manner. He also emphasised the importance of a two-way approach: first "scaling up" local efforts driven by stakeholder collaboration and ingenuity to a global scale, and second "scaling down" international agreements so they can be implemented locally on the ground. Furthermore, he noted that synergy will serve as a crucial implementation concept in the discussions regarding the post-SDGs framework beyond 2030, which will begin in earnest next year.
Second, pointing out that this was the first time ISAP had been held in Kansai, he reported that in addition to local government initiatives, academic institutions and businesses also actively shared their initiatives. He welcomed ISAP as a major catalyst for disseminating these Kansai-based efforts to the global community.
Third, he addressed the youth session, which has been an ongoing component of ISAP. Reflecting on this year's youth session, he called on Miki Fukuda, Chief Policy Researcher at IGES, moderator for the session, who reported that young people with ties to Hyogo Prefecture shared action plans and concepts they hope to implement going forward. There are high expectations for further collaboration with the younger generation so that ISAP can continue to serve as a platform that empowers youth to take on new challenges.
Finally, he outlined the upcoming online thematic track sessions scheduled from August through October following the Plenary session. Regarding the next ISAP, which will be held in Yokohama in 2027, he mentioned that a collaboration with the International Horticultural Expo (GREEN x EXPO 2027) is under consideration, and he added that participants from across Japan would be welcome to attend. He concluded the Plenary sessions by thanking all who made the sessions possible and expressed his hope that ISAP will continue to provide a valuable opportunity to deepen discussions among diverse stakeholders.
Prepared by: Emma FUSHIMI (IGES)
Closing remarks from organiser
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