Co-creating Cultures for the Future Week
Playing for the Planet: The Role of Sports in Driving Sustainability
UN (United Nations)
Sport has a unique power to inspire and unite people across cultures and communities. As the world faces pressing environmental and social challenges, the sports industry plays a vital role in advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). "Football for the Goals*," a United Nations initiative launched in July 2022, provides a platform for the global football community to engage with and advocate for the SDGS, human rights, equality and climate action.
At this event, held in collaboration with the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), an inaugural member of Football for the Goals and "HEROs PLEDGE," an initiative addressing climate change and marine plastic pollution through athletes, we will bring together key figures from sport organizations, private companies, and athletes at the forefront of the sports industry to discuss the role of sports in driving sustainability and positive change in society. The panelists will explore the intersection of sports and sustainability and discuss how the sports sector can lead the way in building a more sustainable future.
*Football for the Goals is a UN initiative that provides a platform for the global football community to engage with and advocate for the SDGs. It brings together all levels of the sport — from confederations, national associations, leagues, and clubs, to players’ associations and fan organizations — to build on existing sustainability approaches and to implement SDG strategies that lead to behavioural change.
Discussion
- Sports
| Transmission of simultaneous interpretation | Provided |
|---|---|
| Language of interpretation | Japanese and English |
Reservations are required for this programme.
Booking is available from the 2-month advance draw. Please check the site below for the timing of the booking start.
Please note that bookings may not be available due to the status.
For more information about making a reservation to watch a programme.
Please watch the Virtual Studio if you are outside the venue.
-
Track Programme
- * Programme times and content are subject to change. Any changes will be announced on this website and via the ticket booking system.
- * The schedule is subject to change depending on the organiser's circumstances.
- Time and
Date of
the event -
-
2025.04.27[Sun]
14:00 ～ 15:20
(Venue Open 13:30)
-
- Venue
- Theme Weeks Studio
Programme details
Programme:
1.Welcome and introduction by Assistant Secretary-General (ASG) Maher Nasser, Commissioner-General of the UN at Expo 2025
2. Keynote Presentation on “Sustainability in Sport Events as a Success Factor”
Mr. Michele Uva, Director, Social & Environmental Sustainability, the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA)
3. Panel Discussion on "The Role of Sports in a Sustainable Future"
In Collaboration with the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and HEROs PLEDGE (HEROs Project by the Nippon Foundation)
Cast
Moderator
Kaoru Nemoto
Director, United Nations Information Centre in Tokyo
After working as a TV Asahi announcer and reporter, Kaoru Nemoto joined UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) in 1996. In her career at UNHCR till end 2011, she was active in the field to assist and protect refugees as well as in developing policies and managing fund-raising from the private sector at the Geneva headquarters. Nemoto also worked as spokeswoman for WFP (World Food Program) and Executive Director at Japan Association for UNHCR. She assumed her current position in August 2013. From September 2016 through June 2024, she was a member of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Promotion Roundtable, established by the Japanese Government. She received the “Person of the Year Award” of the Public Relations Society of Japan for the year 2021, praised for her work on promoting UN activities and the importance of SDGs. She earned Law degree from University of Tokyo and Master’s degree in International Relations from Columbia University.
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Speakers
Maher Nasser
Assistant Secretary-General and Commissioner-General of the United Nations at Expo 2025 in Osaka, Kansai, Japan
Maher Nasser has over 36 years of work experience in the United Nations System during which he has worked in Amman, Cairo, Dubai, Gaza, New York and Vienna. He is currently the Director of Outreach in the United Nations Department of Global Communications. Maher leads the Department’s engagement with civil society, academia, sports / football and the creative community, including the advertising industry and was recently appointed as the Commissioner-General of the United Nations at Expo 2025 in Osaka, Kansai, Japan. Maher Nasser is a reluctant runner and is married with three grown children.
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Michele Uva
Director, Social & Environmental Sustainability, the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA)
Michele Uva is UEFA Director of Social and Environmental Sustainability, appointed in January 2021.
He has dedicated an entire career to professional sport in several contexts, disciplines and environments. He has performed the role of CEO in sports organisations such as the Italian Football Association (FIGC), the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI), professional football clubs (Parma and Lazio), basketball club (Lottomatica Roma) and volleyball clubs (Bologna, Treviso and Matera), as well as Deputy Commissioner in Italian Serie A football league.
Between 2017 and 2020 he was UEFA Vice-president, Chairman of Club Licensing Committee and member of several UEFA Committee: Finance, Club Competition SA, Strategic Steering, Professional Football Strategic, Women.
Author of six books on sport and football industry, he is currently a lecturer for several masters organised by international and Italian universities.
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Sara Takanashi
Ski jumper
Sara Takanashi began ski jumping at the age of eight, and in February 2011, she became the youngest female athlete ever to win an International Ski Federation (FIS)-approved international competition at the Continental Cup. She went on to claim four overall FIS World Cup titles and earned a bronze medal at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics. In the FIS World Cup, she set historic records with 63 career victories—the most by any ski jumper, male or female —and 116 podium finishes, the highest ever for a female ski jumper.
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Minako Yoshikawa
Executive Advisor, ASICS Corporation
Since joining ASICS in 2011, Minako Yoshikawa has been a key driver in advancing the company’s global strategy. As Head of the CSR Department, she led efforts to globalize the organization’s structure and sustainability initiatives. She later served as Head of Public Relations, where she played a pivotal role in establishing ASICS’ diversity & inclusion and risk management frameworks. Since 2021, as Global Head of Sustainability, she has been integrating sustainability into the company’s core business strategy. She has also spoken at COP28 and currently serves as a Visiting Professor at Shunan University.
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Akihiro Nagashima
Congress Member of the Japan Football Association / President of the Osaka Football Association
Akihiro Nagashima led his team to victory at the Japan Games during his time at Mikage Technical High School and joined Matsushita Electric Industrial (now Gamba Osaka) in 1983. After playing for Shimizu S-Pulse, he transferred to Vissel Kobe, which was part of the Japan Football League (JFL) at the time. Over the course of his J.League career, he played in 165 matches and scored 61 goals before retiring in 2000. Currently, he contributes to the development of the football world and community support as a Congress Member of the Japan Football Association, Chair of the Respect Committee’s Disaster Recovery Support Division, Ambassador of JFA Kokoro Project, President of the Osaka Football Association, and President of the Japan National Football Team Alumni Association. He is also active as a football commentator and sports caster.
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More Information
Co-creating Cultures for the Future Week
Playing for the Planet: The Role of Sports in Driving Sustainability
Sport has a unique power to inspire and unite people across cultures and communities. As the world faces pressing environmental and social challenges, the sports industry plays a vital role in advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). "Football for the Goals*," a United Nations initiative launched in July 2022, provides a platform for the global football community to engage with and advocate for the SDGS, human rights, equality and climate action.
At this event, held in collaboration with the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), an inaugural member of Football for the Goals and "HEROs PLEDGE," an initiative addressing climate change and marine plastic pollution through athletes, we will bring together key figures from sport organizations, private companies, and athletes at the forefront of the sports industry to discuss the role of sports in driving sustainability and positive change in society. The panelists will explore the intersection of sports and sustainability and discuss how the sports sector can lead the way in building a more sustainable future.
*Football for the Goals is a UN initiative that provides a platform for the global football community to engage with and advocate for the SDGs. It brings together all levels of the sport — from confederations, national associations, leagues, and clubs, to players’ associations and fan organizations — to build on existing sustainability approaches and to implement SDG strategies that lead to behavioural change.
-
2025.04.27[Sun]
14:00～15:20
(Venue Open 13:30)
- Theme Weeks Studio
- * Programme times and content are subject to change. Any changes will be announced on this website and via the ticket booking system.
- * The schedule is subject to change depending on the organiser's circumstances.
Reservations are required for this programme.
Booking is available from the 2-month advance draw. Please check the site below for the timing of the booking start.
Please note that bookings may not be available due to the status.
For more information about making a reservation to watch a programme.
Please watch the Virtual Studio if you are outside the venue.
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