From 02 to 04 May 2019 the third international conference ‘The Global Festival of Action for Sustainable Development 2019’ took place in Bonn. Since 2017, the Global Festival of Action has provided an international platform each year for individuals, organisations and stakeholders to present their innovative ideas and best practices for sustainable development and solutions to existing climate and environmental problems. The conference of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) is hosted by the UN SDG Campaign in cooperation with the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the Federal Foreign Office and other partners.

This year, about 2000 participants from 142 countries took part in the conference, at which SDG experts and sponsors held presentations and panel discussions. The conference program was complemented by an exhibition of products that contribute to more sustainable development. In the main part of the event, the winners of the SDG Award presented their respective contributions and projects.

The winners of the Japan SDG Award were also invited to the conference. From Yokohama, the director of Ohkawa Printing, a company active since 1881, took part As the Director of the Global Affairs Division of the International Cooperation Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs introduced, the Japan SDG Award recognizes outstanding contributions by companies or organizations to sustainable development. The award was created by the SDG Promotion Office under the direction of the Prime Minister. Ohkawa Printing’s director was a panel guest and presented the SDG strategy of his company. He explained that a lot is being done in his company to educate all his employees about the goals of sustainable development and to promote the implementation of SDGs in a bottom-up structure together with all employees.

Find an important example of Yokohama’s SDGs here.

Further information about the Global Festival of Action can be found here.