"SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals)"
Writer Profile
Norichika Kanie
Graduate School of Media and Governance ProfessorNorichika Kanie
Graduate School of Media and Governance Professor
2020/11/26
While we hear the term "SDGs" (Sustainable Development Goals) more often today, this is a very recent phenomenon. Until a few years ago, "knowing the SDGs" was limited to a small group of interested people. This was exactly the situation in 2017 when I first started thinking about writing a paperback on the basics of the SDGs. When I approached several publishers of paperbacks, the responses were all the same: "No one knows what the SDGs are. A book on this theme won't sell, so we decline."
In the midst of this, Professor Fumitoshi Kato—a colleague whom I have known since my student days when he was a teaching assistant—introduced me to Takahiro Sakai, an editor at Chuko Shinsho. Mr. Sakai showed interest in the new framework of the SDGs, which led to the publication of this book.
After that, as social interest in the SDGs grew, I became very busy myself, and in the end, it took about two years from planning to publication. With the COVID-19 pandemic causing one cancellation after another, I was finally able to finish the manuscript because I had the time to sit down at my desk and write properly.
Nowadays, many books include "SDGs" in their titles, and some bookstores even have an "SDGs corner." To be honest, while some books contain questionable content, I wrote this with the sole intention of showing that "this is the true essence of the SDGs."
I once heard a story from my colleague and senior, Professor Jun Murai, about when he published his paperback titled "The Internet." As the internet became widespread and various people were talking about it, the advertising copy for his book was "The lead runner who is a lap behind." That was the moment I thought, "This is exactly what my book should aim for!"
The SDGs are not just a list of goals. Governance that begins with goal-setting, as exemplified by the SDGs, has the potential to significantly change the nature of global governance. I hope that reading this book will deepen people's understanding of the SDGs and serve as a way to repay Mr. Sakai, who took an interest in this issue early on.
*Affiliations and titles are as of the time of publication.