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17 - 23 Apr. 2018

JANIC Releases "Posters with a Few Extra Words" to Raise Awareness of SDGs

Image by OpenClipart-Vectors.

The Japan NGO Center for International Cooperation (JANIC), a non-profit organization, released on October 4, 2017, "posters with a few extra words" to raise awareness of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In this article, we explain the group's efforts to galvanize action for the 17 SDGs using posters with catchy phrases often seen in everyday life.

JANIC created the posters with the hope of raising awareness and spurring action on the SDGs - the "17 goals to transform our world" being pursued through a unified effort by UN member states - among as many people as possible.

The "few extra words" on the posters casually help people to recognize the thoughts and feelings behind the SDGs and to realize that they, too, can contribute to their achievement. To familiarize people with sustainability issues, the posters are available to download and hang up in suitable places, such as workplaces, retail stores, and schools.

For example, the poster for Goal 1, "No poverty," shows the words "Open for Business" (synonymous with "working" in Japanese) in large font, preceded by a short message in smaller font, "We wish all those who want to work to be..." A comment at the bottom describes the current situation: "One in every five people in developing countries lives on less than 1.25 dollars a day."

The poster for Goal 15, "Life on land," states "No unsolicited mail" (a phrase commonly added to mailboxes in Japan) after "To protect our forests..." and includes the comment, "Every year, 1.3 million hectares of the world's forests and 1.2 million hectares of farmland disappear due to drought and desertification."

The few extra words thus turn the 17 Goals into unique, head-turning catch phrases.

JANIC was founded in 1987 with Japanese NGOs as permanent members. It is one of Japan's leading network NGOs. Its main activities are divided into the following three areas.

Public policy advocacy and awareness raising

Achieving the SDGs will require the world's citizens to collaborate across borders and create a policy environment that supports the activities of NGOs and civil society organizations (CSOs) that are tackling sustainability issues. JANIC advocates and builds awareness for such policies based on its accumulated knowledge and thorough research.

Promoting collaboration

Also critical to the SDGs is cooperation and collaboration across all sectors, with each sector leveraging its unique strengths. JANIC thus promotes equal partnerships with other sectors while retaining the autonomy of NGOs and CSOs. These efforts are focused on businesses, labor unions, and local governments as key sectors.

NGO capacity development

JANIC develops content and tools and provides study and networking opportunities to strengthen the effectiveness of NGOs.

A single poster can change one's perspective and inspire action that will help accomplish the SDGs. Though not yet widespread, such action seems to be emerging among ordinary citizens. We hope this poster initiative will make the SDGs a part of everyone's everyday life.

LIXIL Announces Joint Declaration on Hygiene Issues on World Toilet Day

LIXIL website

LIXIL Corp., a Japanese living and housing solutions company, announced on November 17, 2017, that it had endorsed the "Joint Declaration on the Japan Initiative for Hygiene Issues," together with the World Toilet Organization, Saraya Co., Ltd., and the BLUE WING program of ANA Holdings Inc.

This declaration articulates their collective commitment to Goal 6 of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which is "Ensure access to water and sanitation for all." The announcement was made at the "LIXIL World Toilet Day Forum 2017."

Worldwide, as many as 2.3 billion people lack access to safe and sanitary toilets, and each day, nearly 800 children of under the age of five die due to diarrhoeal diseases caused by unsanitary conditions. One study found that global economic losses due to inadequate sanitation amounted to about US$223 billion dollars (about 25.2 trillion yen) in 2015.

LIXIL, Saraya, and the ANA BLUE WING program aim to use their accumulated knowledge and experience to help address hygiene issues around the world. In that context, LIXIL declared its own goal of improving the hygiene environment for 100 million people by 2020.