The Hiroshima Business Forum for Global Peace was held with the aim to create a truly peaceful and sustainable global society. To this end, the event has served as a venue for sharing insights on the importance of global peace as a business platform, reviewing the roles of companies, NGOs, and other entities, and from multiples angles, discussing the ways to connect business with contributions.

Overview

1. Date: August 8, 2020

2. Theme: How we can proactively achieve “Peace” leveraging SDGs in the post COVID-19 world

3. Host: Hiroshima Peace Promotion Network

4. Endorsed by: United Nations Information Centre, United Nations Institute for Training and Research(UNITAR), Office for Promotion of Overcoming Population Decline and Vitalization Local Economy in Japan

5. Participants: 761 people

Program

Main contents

 Keynote Speech: KOBAYASHI Yoshimitsu, Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings Corporation, Director of the Board, Chairperson

The relationships between science and politics, and between technology and management are becoming increasingly important.

After the pandemic, we cannot allow things to return to how they were pre-COVID-19.

We need to have the goals of accelerating digitalization and creating a “digital renaissance” in society as a whole.

Solidarity and connections are important to combat irrationality, but it is difficult in practice, and so the opposite ends up happening. 

The key to  the future is whether or not we will seriously tackle the transition to an era of “non- principles” that transcends the principles centered on technology.

 

Session1: Global economy and disparity issues during-COVID-19/ post-COVID-19

With the global economy undergoing changes, both during and after COVID-19, we discussed new corporate management, what corporate actions should be taken to reduce disparities which threaten peace such as the gender gap, the image of a “new global economy” created to bring world stability as well as aimed at “positive peace” and “SDGs”, and the action that the business community should take to promote ESG investment, etc.

 

Session2: Threats to peace from excessive industrialization/urbanization and climate changes, particularly with pandemic impact (during/post COVID-19)

【Video Message(KOIZUMI Shinjiro, Minister of Environment)】

Creating an economy and society without considering the environment cannot make people’s stable and happy lives sustainable.

No matter the circumstances, including the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change, and even during periods pf calm, we must continue to think about that which is most important, peace.

Additionally,  in the face of the two crises of COVID-19 and climate change, I hope this forum will lead to new values, new ideas, and new actions which we will each start thinking today.

【Discussion】

In Japan, with COVID-19 as the catalyst, the debate over “reverse urbanization,” in which urban life is re-examined and people move from cities to rural areas has become more active.

We discussed what lifestyle changes could lead to a more “abundant” life, while reducing the risks to peace posed by urbanization, industrialization and climate change.

 

Session3: The role of local governments in global society – Building peace through education and diplomacy (during/post COVID-19)

About both during and post COVID-19, there is ongoing debate about rebuilding the balance between distribution and aggregation.

Local governments are required to play a role in the “education” field and to contribute to “peacebuilding” through interacting both among one another as well as with the state.

Based on this, we discussed the role that local governments can play in peacebuilding from the perspective of education and local diplomacy.

 

Special Session: ”Human Security” and “Peace x Business x SDGs” during-COVID-19/ post-COVID-19

We discussed broadly what business can directly do to counter personal crisis such as pandemics, food crises and climate change, and what kind of future we should choose through economic/business in response to the idea of “human security” ensuring personal safety and security from the perspective of each person.

Concluding Panel Discussion: Announcement of the “2020 Hiroshima Declaration”

All participants of this forum reaffirmed the importance of cooperation between the economy and peace, and announced the “2020 Hiroshima Declaration.”

This declaration states that we will take new action with the 100th anniversary of the atomic bomb and the end of the WWⅡ　on the horizon, in order to realize “positive peace,” which is the premise of democratic and free business.

 

 

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