Under the initiative, the business accelerator delegation first visited the Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat (China–Japan–Korea Cooperation) in Seoul, where Secretary-General Lee Hee-sup welcomed the group. The delegation learned about the trilateral framework’s role in facilitating future business cooperation, regional regulatory alignment, and joint development strategies across the three nations.

The group travelled to Japan, where they visited Japanese companies that demonstrate outstanding examples of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) implementation and international collaboration in green industry, innovation, and trade. The visits aimed to offer the participants insights into global best practices aligned with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

At Pasona Group, the senior management introduced the company’s global and domestic HR practices, shared insights from working with Chinese enterprises abroad, highlighting challenges in staffing, labour law compliance, and welfare adaptation, among others. The session offered practical perspectives on building scalable and compliant cross-border human capital systems. The group also visited Komatsu Ltd. and Panasonic Corporation. 

The accelerator delegation joined the Osaka Expo, where they took part in the ESG Best Practice Global Dialogue on 12 September, an event connecting the UN Pavilion and China Pavilion. The session was opened by the Director of the UN Pavilion, Ms. Naomi Ichikawa, followed by remarks from Ms. Chisa Mikami, Head of the UNITAR Hiroshima Office.

Today’s exchange is about fostering a global ecosystem of learning and continuous improvement, where a breakthrough in one part of the world can inspire progress in another. This is the global prosperity spirit in action – sharing knowledge so that we can all rise to our common challenges more effectively.

– Chisa Mikami, Head, Hiroshima Office, UNITAR

In the Leadership Spotlight session:

• Mr. Tsutomu Igaki (Managing Executive Officer, OMRON) shared how ESG principles guide corporate operations.
• Mr. Cosmo Takagi (Assistant Professor, The University of Kitakyushu) presented Japan’s sustainable business models.
• Mr. Li Tienan (CEO, China Standard Conformity Assessment) discussed how Chinese enterprises can align with global ESG standards.

The session concluded with an UN video that features the Secretary-General António Guterres, emphasizing trust, accountability, and sustainable cooperation.

This Pavilion also symbolizes an important truth — building a better, more peaceful future requires all countries, and all people, working as one.

In the second part of the Dialogue, at the China Pavilion, Mr. Li Xingqian, Vice Chair of CCPIT, highlighted CCPIT’s actions to promote the sustainable development of the global business community. Seven enterprises then presented their ESG trajectories in global markets, focusing on compliance systems, governance, innovation, and brand stewardship. 

UNITAR, CCOIC, and CCPIT Commercial Legal Service Center jointly conferred ESG Best Practice recognition to 19 Chinese enterprises for their commitment to responsible business practices and sustainable internationalization. The companies were assessed for corporate social responsibility, including ESG performance and compliance reporting.

As global enterprise engagement evolves, the focus has shifted from market entry to embedding values, building trust, and driving sustainable growth. With rising regulations and stakeholder expectations, structured knowledge exchange and multi-stakeholder dialogue are now vital for integrating ESG into corporate strategy. In this context, the business accelerator exemplified UNITAR’s support for capacity-building under the 2030 Agenda and fostering sustainable internationalization among business and governance stakeholders.