On March 24th, the Peace Communication Foundation organized “The Children’s Conference of the Future in Support of the United Nations” at the Main Conference Hall in the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, where 82 children between the ages of 9 and 12 from 18 different countries have participated.

To begin with, the chosen representatives for domestic expansion from Toshima City, Shinagawa City, Kita City, Hamamatsu City, Osaka, and Okinawa started off the event by presenting their award-winning ideas in English.

For the first segment, Hinako Arao, leader of the international environmental NGO (nongovernmental organization) 350.org, presented a simple quiz-like lecture to the children on the topic of “climate change”, which was one of their topics that day. Their goal was to educate children on the current state of environmental damage and ways they can contribute to addressing it.

In the second part of the event, the children were divided into 12 groups to participate in a workshop. The themes of “climate change” and “peace” were further broken down into 6 groups, which had engaging discussions on various strategies and actions that can be implemented to promote sustainability in our world.

From challenging discussions such as “What sort of mindset is needed to achieve peace?” and “How can we increase awareness of initiatives aimed at decreasing greenhouse gas emissions to a broader audience?” to more complex discussions such as “How do we make presentations easier to understand?”, everyone actively shared their opinions in a blend of Japanese and English, utilizing tools like the translation tool “USEN OMOTENASHI CAST” and their smartphones, engaging not just with the adult support staff, but also between themselves.

During the third segment, each group presents their discussed opinions from the workshop in a 3-minute presentation. The groups that were assigned the theme “climate change” expressed various multi-perspective ideas, such as promoting hydrogen cars over high gas-demanding luxury cars, charging a fee for late-night electricity use to fund tree planting, and creating fun educational sugoroku games designed to teach others about climate change.

The group on the theme of “peace” also had a range of ideas for how to achieve peace through immediate action. Such ideas lead the way to great discussions, including the following: “War is a fight between two countries. Locally we can create peace by expressing gratitude towards the people around us, and spreading a ‘habit of saying thank you’”, “In order to address unconscious gender bias in Japan, people who have faced discrimination, who are regrettably discriminating against others, and bystanders, must all take the appropriate actions to eliminate such discrimination”, and “Let’s always take a vote first before deciding to go to war”.

For the closing ceremony, Tokyo Governor Koike Yuriko takes the podium and gives a speech. “I am truly pleased that children from all over the world have gathered here in Tokyo to engage in such lively discussions about the future. By being exposed to a multitude of ways of thinking while also expressing your own ideas, I truly believe that this has been a wonderful opportunity in strengthening the ability to shape your own future. Every one of you here represent the future of our world, and you are always giving us adults new insights. Tokyo aims to enact policies that will allow for increased communication and dialogue with children. Together, let’s think about the future and take action”.

 

The final event featured a music session performed by MIYAVI and Nataliya Gudziy. Nataliya Gudziy, a bandurist from Ukraine, performed two songs overflowing with prayers for peace.

Subsequently, MIYAVI, the talented artist responsible for composing the theme song “That’s What I’m Gonna Be” for The Children’s Conference of the Future in Support of the United Nations, graced the stage. Alongside Nataliya Gudziy and the children, they delivered a captivating performance of the theme song, bringing the event to a close.

The ideas discussed on this day will be conveyed to the United Nations Headquarters in New York this July by the representatives (Mynavi Kid Ambassadors) that were chosen from the children who took part in the event.

In the lobby outside the venue, a panel exhibition showcasing materials from prior Children’s Conference of the Future in Support of the United Nations was on display. In addition, an exhibition featuring the “Vibro-scape”, developed by the Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation, offered guests the opportunity to immerse themselves in different landscapes through images, sounds, and vibrations. During breaks in the conference, children had the chance to visit the exhibition and vicariously experience the sensation of walking on stones, trees, and debris on the beach.

＜Children’s Conference of the Future in Support of the United Nations　Panel Exhibition＞

＜Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation “Vibro-scape Experience”＞

＜Translation Tool “USEN OMOTENASHI CAST” by U-NEXT HOLDINGS Co.,Ltd.＞

◆“The Children’s Conference of the Future in Support of the United Nations″ EVENT OUTLINE *titles omitted

【Event Title】The Children’s Conference of the Future in Support of the United Nations

【Date & Time】Sunday, March 24, 2024 10:00-17:00

【Venue】Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building No.1 Conference Hall 5^th Floor

【MC】Jun HORI（Journalist）／Chigusa（Radio・Personality）

【Special Guest】Yuriko KOIKE（Governor of Tokyo Metropolis）

【Special Speaker】Roberto Benes（Director of UNICEF Tokyo Office）／Miyuki TAKAGIWA（Mayor of Toshima Ward）／Kyoko MORISAWA（Mayor of Shinagawa Ward）／Kanako YAMADA（Mayor of Kita city Ward）／Yasuhide NAKAYAMA（Former State Minister of Defense& Former State Minister of Cabinet Office）

【Special Facilitator】Junji WATANABE（Senior Distinguished Researcher,Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Public Corporation）

【SDGs Lecturer】Hhinako ARAO（350 Japan Team Leader）

【Performers in the Music session】MIYAVI（Artist）／Nataliya GUDZIY（Singer／Banduris）

【Special Communication supporter】Risa WAKABAYASHI（Consultant,Owls Consulting Group, Inc.）／Toru ASAHI（Director, Global Consolidated Research Institute for Science Wisdom,
Waseda University）

【Video massege】Yoko KAMIKAWA（Minister for Foreign Affairs）／Katsunobu KATO（Member of the House of Representatives ,Leader of Diet Members Supporters Club）

【Organizer】Peace Communication Foundation

【Co-organizer】Tokyo Metropolis

【Certification & Support】Ministry of Foreign Affairs／Children and Families Agenc／Headquarters for the World Expo, Cabinet Secretariat

【Cooperation】Foreign Embassy in JAPAN／Waseda University Global Consolidated Research Institute for Science Wisdom／ESG-IREC at Osaka University／SMALL WORLDS TOKYO／LDH Inc.／USEN CORPORATION／TOKYO TOWER Co.,Ltd

【Tentative sponsors】NIPPON TELEGRAPH AND TELEPHONE CORPORATION／Mynavi Corporation／HIROTSU BIO SCIENCE INC.／FOURSEEDS CORPORATION／Loyalty Marketing, Inc.／Open House Group Co.,LTD.／JPF CORPORATION／Japan Airlines Co., Ltd.