Environment

Emperor Naruhito Delivers Keynote Speech at UN Special Session: History Offers Lessons for Achieving the SDGs

In his video address, Emperor Naruhito expressed hope for the "global acceleration of the actions needed for the full achievement of water-related SDGs."

Published

1 year ago

March 29, 2023

The Sankei Shimbun

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The Emperor of Japan delivered a keynote speech via video at the 6th Special Thematic Session on Water and Disasters held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, on March 21.

The special session was held prior to the UN 2023 Water Conference, which began on March 22, and was attended by UN General Assembly President Csaba Kőrösi. The Emperor, who has made addressing water issues his life's work, spoke in a 20-minute video presentation entitled "Water in Circulation – Thinking of Social Development through the Water Cycle." The Emperor delivered the address in English.

Emperor Highlights the History of Edo

Using presentation slides, Emperor Naruhito introduced the relationship between water and the development of the city of Edo (modern-day Tokyo). He noted that the use of boats for disaster relief in the Edo Period is once again in the spotlight as a modern-day disaster countermeasure.

"As we commemorate this year as 100 years since the Kanto Earthquake, it would be meaningful to think over disaster countermeasures in the Tokyo metropolitan area, learning from the history and the perspective of water use," he remarked.

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