The video from the first webinar on Peace and Sustainability in the Context of Global Change with Prof Jeffrey Sachs is now live on our brand new YouTube channel and with edited English subtitles. Japanese subtitles will be up soon, so subscribed to our channel to make sure you don’t miss it and all our upcoming events and activities.
The Network for Education and Research on Peace and Sustainability (NERPS) at Hiroshima University in Japan is hosting a series of webinars on the relationship between peace and sustainability in the context of environmental, socio-political, economic, and technological transformations. This series is situated within the urgent need to deal with the implications of global change, including the COVID-19 pandemic, for peace and sustainability.
The webinar sessions serve as a platform for rethinking and updating the current discourse on peace and sustainability amidst these global challenges and transformations. Leading experts will discuss the role of resources, digital technologies, migration, governance, and education in peacebuilding, conflict mitigation, humanitarian aid, and capacity-building, among other components that contribute to the achievement of the Sustainabile Development Goals, particularly that of Goal 16 on Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions.
In celebration of this year’s International Peace Day, our inaugural guest speaker is Prof. Jeffrey D. Sachs of Columbia University. He will talk about how sustainable development offers a path to peace, both by ensuring a global society that is fair for all and by encouraging international cooperation that can help to overcome fear, bigotry, and narrowmindedness.
Limited slots for in-person participation at the 2F, Reception Hall, Faculty Club, Higashi-Hiroshima campus, Hiroshima University is also available. Preventive measures against Covid-19 will be in place for the safety of the participants.
Important Announcement: Due to the uncertainties and challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the organizing committee decided to postpone this year’s conference to October 2021. The health and safety of our participants and communities are important to us. The new dates and arrangements will be announced as soon as we finalize the details.
This postponement is an opportunity for us to deepen our collaboration in the lead-up to October 2021. We will be holding several virtual events to start engaging prospective presenters and participants with the themes of the conference. Kindly watch this space and our associated social media accounts for announcements. Thank you for your support and understanding.
The Network for Education and Research on Peace and Sustainability (NERPS) at Hiroshima University will hold its inaugural international conference on Peace and Sustainability in the Context of Global Change at Hiroshima University, Japan from 23-24 October 2020.
The 2020 NERPS Biennial Conference invites abstracts for research papers and posters that interrogate the relationship between peace and sustainability in the context of environmental, socio-political, economic, and technological transformations. We welcome a diverse range of disciplinary approaches and methodologies examining peace-sustainability nexus in relation to resources, digital technologies, migration, governance, and education. Download the conference poster.
Joshua Fisher – Columbia University
Akira Hibiki – Tohoku University
Fumiko Kasuga – Future Earth Global Hub, Japan
Vally Koubi – ETH Zurich
Paul Shrivastava – Pennsylvania State University
Hassan Virji – Hiroshima University / START
To submit an abstract, please download and fill out this form and send it to nerps@hiroshima-u.ac.jp with subject line “2020 NERPS Conference.”
May 31 – abstract submission deadline
June 15 – notification of results
July 15 – early registration deadline
August 30 – late registration deadline
September 30 – paper submission deadline (for award consideration)*
*Note: Full papers are not required except from those who want to be considered for the best paper awards.
Registration fees can be paid via bank transfer or Paypal. Details for the registration and payment process will be announced on 31 May 2020.
Early registration
Standard – 30,000
Student – 15,000
Final registration
Standard – 40,000
Student – 20,000
We have limited slots for non-presenting participants. Register early to reserve your place.
Standard – 50,000
Student – 25,000
The Scientific Committee will select the best papers for the following categories. Awardees will be invited to submit their papers for potential publication in a special journal issue. Details will be announced later.
Best Poster Award (student category)
Best Paper Award (student category)
Best Paper Award (early career researcher category)
Best Paper Award (senior researcher category)
Keynote speakers
Plenary session speakers
Reception dinner
Travel and accommodation guide for participants
On 4 February 2020, NERPS, together with Taoyaka Program, launched its first research seminar with four distinguished guests from Japan and the United States. The seminar was held at the Graduate School for International Development and Cooperation and attended by graduate students and faculty staff.
Prof Vally Koubi of ETH-Zurich presented her ongoing research on the implications of climate change migration on urban conflict by comparing survey data from Kenya and Vietnam. Prof Akira Hibiki of Tohoku University explained the impact of air pollution on child health according to gender in households of Bangladesh. Dr Joshua Fisher of AC4 at Earth Institute of Columbia University made a case for integrated sustainability and deeper collaboration in managing environmental conflict and achieving the SDGs based on multi-year fieldwork in Papua New Guinea. Dr Shoko Kohama of Hokkaido University shared her research work on the role of soft power in public diplomacy by experimenting on various outcomes of confirmation bias, leader cues, and negative perceptions.
Dr Ayyoob Sharifi and Dr Dahlia Simangan facilitated the open discussion. The program with the lecture titles can be found here.
The annual Hiroshima University-NERPS SDGs Symposium on the theme of Institutionalization of Sustainability at Hiroshima University was held on 4 February 2020 at the Graduate School for International Development and Cooperation (IDEC). Hiroshima University President Mitsuo Ochi opened the event, followed by guest lectures by Prof Peter Schlosser, Vice President and Vice Provost of Global Futures Laboratory at Arizona State University and Prof Paul Srivastava, Chief Sustainability Officer and Director of the Sustainability Institute at Pennsylvania State University. Both guest speakers presented the sustainability initiatives at their respective universities and insights on better engagement with students and various sectors in implementing their programs. Prof Shinji Kaneko, NERPS Director, facilitated the program and the open discussion with the audience. Prof Satoshi P Watanabe, Senior Vice President of Hiroshima University, gave the closing remarks. Download the program here.
On 3 February 2020, NERPS held its 2020 scoping workshop at Hiroshima University, Higashi-Hiroshima campus. NERPS Director, Prof Shinji Kaneko, opened the morning session to present to the participants the achievements and way forward for NERPS. He was followed by a presentation by Dr Dahlia Simangan about the concept paper on peace-sustainability nexus based on the 2019 Hiroshima Dialogue Forum. Dr Ayyoob Sharifi then shared the preliminary results of a literature review of published works on peace and sustainability.
NERPS advisory board members, Prof Paul Shrivastava and Prof Hassan Virji (who joined us via Zoom), gave their remarks to the presentations and invited the participants to share their comments. The participants then provided their suggestions for how the Science Plan should be developed and the important elements that should be incorporated in it.
In the afternoon session, Prof Kaneko led the discussions about the future plans of NERPS, including a 2-year grant program, cross-appointments of visiting professors, and the first biennial conference to be held in October 2020. Details of these events will be shared with our network once they have been finalized.
We thank the following participants for their time and valuable inputs during the workshop: Joshua Fisher, Columbia University; Akira Hibiki, Tohoku University; Gaku Ito, Hiroshima University; Fumiko Kasuga, Future Earth Japan Hub; Mari Katayanagi, Hiroshima University; Minseo Kim, Hiroshima University; Vally Koubi, ETH Zurich; Prem Pangotra, Hiroshima University; Giles Sioen, Future Earth Japan Hub; Keiko Tanaka, Hiroshima University; Yuki Yoshida Hiroshima University.
NERPS, in collaboration with Taoyaka Program, will hold its first Research Seminar on 4 February 2020 from 2:00pm-5:15pm at the Graduate School for International Development and Cooperation at Hiroshima University’s Higashi-Hiroshima campus.
NERPS invited Vally Koubi of ETH Zurich, Akira Hibiki of Tohoku University, Joshua Fisher of Columbia University, and Shoko Kohama of Hokkaido University to share their research on peace and sustainability to academic staff and students on campus. The seminar will be a public event, and attendees are invited to join the discussion after the presentations.
NERPS will hold its 4th SDGs Symposium on February 4, 2020 (Tuesday, 10:30am-12:20pm) at the Graduate School for International Development and Cooperation or Hiroshima University, Higashi-Hiroshima campus. Prof Peter Schlosser of Arizona State University and Prof Paul Shrivastava of Pennsylvania State University will join Hiroshima University’s president, Prof Mitsuo Ochi, and senior vice-president, Prof Satoshi P. Watanabe to discuss the Institutionalization of Sustainability at Hiroshima University.
The “Sustainable University Town Initiative driven by Academic Enterprise,” jointly proposed by Hiroshima University and Higashi-Hiroshima City and in cooperation with the local community, has been adopted for the project of “Dealing with Social Issues in Regions through Science and Technology Innovation (DESIGN-i project)” by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT).
This proposal is implemented with Higashi-Hiroshima City Hall and the local stakeholders and is an attempt to promote sharing knowledge at the level that Higashi-Hiroshima City becomes a city shaped by young intellectuals around the world and with increased population size. Together with Higashi-Hiroshima citizens and domestic and overseas stakeholders, we aim to create a sustainable and attractive new town.
For more information, visit the website of Hiroshima University×Higashi-Hiroshima City RDT (Regional Design Team) at https://design-i.hiroshima-u.ac.jp/en/
We are pleased to announce the Call for Papers for a Special Issue of Sustainability Science journal. The Issue offers a platform for synthesizing existing knowledge and advancing the current understanding of sustainability–peace nexus in the context of global change. It aims to draw together a collection of high-quality papers, addressing uni- and bi-directional causal linkages between sustainability and peace, as well as challenges and opportunities for promoting and sustaining peaceful environments that benefit human societies and the natural world. We encourage researchers and practitioners to submit original research articles, case studies, reviews, critical perspectives, and viewpoint articles on topics related to peace and sustainability. Kindly check this link for examples of topics and details of submission and peer-review process.
