On April 13, Ms. MIZUNO Maya from the United Nations-mandated University for Peace (UPEACE) in Costa Rica paid a courtesy call to President MAKINO Hirofumi.

Ms. Mizuno is the program coordinator of the APS dual-degree program in International Peace Studies at UPEACE and took the opportunity to visit Okayama University on a brief visit to Japan to discuss conclusion of a university-level Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and various collaborative projects between the two universities. During the courtesy call, President Makino and Ms. Mizuno also exchanged information on how the current global situation has affected both universities and countries and discussed Costa Rica’s response to the coronavirus.

President Makino visited Costa Rica in December 2019 to build a relationship between UPEACE and Earth Charter International (ECI), which co-founded the UNESCO Chair on Education for Sustainable Development with Earth Charter, to promote the integrated efforts of Earth Charter and ESD for 2030 with a view to achieving the SDGs. In June 2020, Okayama University signed a comprehensive MoU with ECI. Currently, both Okayama University and ECI develop comprehensive ways to promote ESDs, SDGs, and the Earth Charter, while also promoting comprehensive human resource development and social contribution projects in both cities.