On January 19, Vice President Prof. Atsufumi Yokoi (Global Engagement) visited the Essl Foundation in Vienna, Austria, and met with Mr. Martin Essl, Founder of the Essl Foundation and recipient of an honorary doctorate from Okayama University conferred in December.

The Essl Foundation implements the Zero Project, a global platform dedicated to the rights and inclusion of persons with disabilities, in cooperation with the United Nations. The Zero Project, recognized as a worldwide social inclusion movement, connects more than 10,000 participants across over 100 countries. Each February, it convenes the Zero Project Conference and presents the Zero Project Awards. Vice President Yokoi introduced Okayama University’s global engagement initiatives and discussed prospects for collaboration with United Nations and international organizations based in Vienna.

During his visit, Vice President Yokoi also met with Ms. Monika Froehler, CEO of the Ban Ki-moon Foundation, which was co-founded by former United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and former President of Austria Heinz Fischer to advance the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Foundation promotes leadership education for youth and training programs designed to strengthen decision-making capacity among societal leaders, while developing various initiatives toward 2030. Vice President Prof. Yokoi explained Okayama University’s efforts to integrate Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), promoted by the Government of Japan with Okayama playing a central role, and Global Citizenship Education (GCED), advanced by the Government of the Republic of Korea, based on the comprehensive agreement concluded in September last year with Kyung Hee University. Discussions were held regarding potential collaboration with the Ban Ki-moon Foundation.

Vice President Prof. Yokoi further visited the United Nations Office at Vienna and met with Ms. Candice Welsch, Chief of the Research and Trend Analysis Branch and Head of Communications at the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). They exchanged views on UNODC’s initiatives in drug prevention education for youth, including expectations for collaboration with universities and particularly with institutions in Japan.

In addition, Vice President Prof. Yokoi paid a courtesy visit to H.E. Ambassador Kiminori Iwama, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to Austria, where they exchanged information on involvement with the Zero Project and prospects for bilateral university cooperation.

Through its global engagement efforts, Okayama University will continue to strengthen its educational foundation contributing to the achievement of the SDGs and further advance initiatives aimed at co-creating a desirable future for both the region and the planet.

◯ Zero Project
The Zero Project was established to advance the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) by identifying and scaling solutions that improve the daily lives and legal rights of persons with disabilities. It seeks to create a fair, equitable, and barrier-free world and has gained broad international recognition, including positive evaluation at meetings of the Government of Japan and international organizations.