Okayama University participated as a cooperating institution in the Earth Charter Youth Summit 2026, held from July 11 to 13 at Soka University of America in California, USA. Prof. Atsufumi Yokoi, Vice President for Global Engagement, UNESCO Chairholder of Okayama University, and Member of the Earth Charter International Council, was invited to deliver keynote presentations. Ms. Sakurako Iwatsu, a master's student in the Graduate School of Education at Okayama University, also took part in the summit as one of the youth leaders.

The summit was held under the theme "Redesigning Tomorrow's World: Uniting Global Youth for Climate Justice and Collective Healing – An Intercultural Call for the Earth Community." More than 100 youth leaders and activists promoting the Earth Charter from 29 countries gathered to exchange ideas on advancing a sustainable society and to discuss the future development of the Earth Charter Youth Leaders Movement. Through interactive sessions, workshops, and dialogues with fellow youth leaders, partner organizations, Indigenous communities, and keynote speakers, participants built international networks that transcended national and cultural boundaries.

On the opening day, Prof. Yokoi delivered a presentation entitled "The Earth Charter as an Ethical Framework for Planetary Well-Being and Youth Agency" During both a group session and the plenary session. He also gave a presentation in a parallel session entitled "Planetary Well-being, the Post-2030 Agenda, and Transformative Future."

In his presentations, Prof. Yokoi introduced the Earth Charter as an ethical foundation for global sustainability and presented concepts such as "Planetizenship," which emphasizes responsible global citizenship in support of planetary well-being. He emphasized the proactive role of young people in creating a sustainable future and proposed new directions for education in the post-2030 era.

Throughout the summit, Ms. Iwatsu actively participated in various sessions and discussions. Through dialogue with youth leaders from different countries, she reflected on the realization of a sustainable society based on the principles of the Earth Charter and on climate justice, while deepening her understanding of the importance of young people taking proactive action and the role they can play.

On July 10, the day before the summit, the Earth Charter International Council Meeting was held at the same venue. Prof. Yokoi attended the meeting in his capacity as a Council member. During the meeting, Council members shared updates on their activities and exchanged views on future initiatives. Representing the Earth Charter Committee of Japan, Prof. Yokoi reported on the forthcoming publication of the research report Transformation of Global Civilizations and the Earth Charter and introduced Okayama University's initiative to award academic credit for UNESCO Chair-related programs.

Okayama University will continue to promote integrated initiatives that bring together UNESCO’s “ESD for 2030” framework and the Earth Charter, while further strengthening activities that engage younger generations.