The Joint Doctoral Program for Sustainability Research is an integrated program jointly offered by Tokyo University of Foreign Studies (TUFS), Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology (TUAT) and the University of Electro-Communications (UEC). This program was established in 2019 based on the idea that the mission and significance of sustainability research is to work towards solving the global challenges facing humanity today, especially those related to development, environment and peace.
The term "Sustainable Development" was originally coined by the World Commission on Environment and Development (Brundtland Commission) in 1987, when environmental issues were at the forefront of its global agenda. Conventional sustainability research has also placed environmental issues at its core.
On the other hand, the "2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development" adopted at the United Nations Summit in September 2015 set forth the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are international goals for the period from 2016 to 2030. The SDGs cover a wide range of issues related to development, include not only environmental issues, but also poverty, health and hygiene, education, governance, and peace. Like the SDGs, this program takes a broad view of "sustainability".
The SDGs have been presented as principles by the United Nations, and this program considers the strengths of the three universities: “Language, liberal arts, and area studies" (TUFS), “Food, energy, and life sciences" (TUAT), "Information and communications (ICT), artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, and photonics” (UEC). Then we focus on practical issues from the perspective of collaboration between the humanities and science and engage in research that aims for practical solutions