Press Releases

　On October 3, commencing at 11:30 a.m. for approximately 20 minutes, Foreign Minister Taro Kono received a courtesy call from Ms. Amina J. Mohammed, United Nations Deputy Secretary-General. The overview of the courtesy call is as follows.

1. Firstly, Foreign Minister Kono welcomed Ms. Mohammed’s first visit to Japan after assuming the office of the UN Deputy Secretary-General. He explained that the Government of Japan has fully committed itself to implementing the SDGs at home and abroad, and to this end, is promoting collaboration with the business sector as well as public awareness-raising, especially to encourage the young people to lead the SDGs as their own agenda. He stated that he wished to closely cooperate with Deputy Secretary-General Mohammed who has long-standing leadership on the SDGs.
2. Deputy Secretary-General Mohammed expressed her gratitude for making this curtesy call possible, and emphasized the necessity to socialize the SDGs among the public with a view to transforming the world. In this context, she mentioned the dialogue with the young people at an international symposium as well as the exchange of views with the senior members of Keidanren and the Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games that she engaged in during her visit to Japan this time.
3. In response, Foreign Minister Kono stated that it is necessary for Japan, which consists a part of the inter-connected world, to contribute to the international community from the perspective of ensuring sustainability, taking account of Japan’s experience of the Great East Japan Earthquake and its active introduction of various foreign-originated systems. Deputy Secretary-General Mohammed agreed his opinion, and stated the importance of further enhancing the domestic momentum of promoting the SDGs through the Japan’s business sector that globally deploys its activities and the Tokyo Paralympic Game that will offer inclusiveness for the people with disabilities, building upon Japan’s ample record of supporting the international community.