- On 7 July 2026, the UNITAR Green Economic Acceleration: A Japan–ASEAN Strategic Programme for Sustainable Green Finance launched with 1,114 participants from 11 ASEAN member states.
- The programme aims to strengthen Japan–ASEAN cooperation in sustainable economy and finance projects.
- The first phase runs online from July to September 2026, covering foundational concepts of green economy and sustainable finance through self-paced online modules and expert-led webinars.
- Selected 200 participants will advance to Phase II for specialized thematic training, and the top 50 performers will be invited to the Japan–ASEAN Green Investment Summit in Tokyo in February 2027.
- The programme is made possible by the generous support of the Government and People of Japan.
UNITAR
9 July 2026, Hiroshima, Japan – On 7 July 2026, UNITAR welcomed 1,114 participants from across all 11 Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member states to the UNITAR Green Economic Acceleration: A Japan–ASEAN Strategic Programme for Sustainable Green Finance. The programme aims to strengthen Japan–ASEAN cooperation in sustainable finance and build regional capacity to design, finance and advance bankable green economy projects. It will run until February 2027 in three progressively selective phases, with the generous funding from the Government and People of Japan.
Phase I kicked off with a webinar to give participants an overview of the programme structure, learning journey and the platforms they will use throughout their training. Ms. Chisa Mikami, Head of Hiroshima Project Office, highlighted the urgency of accelerating the green economic transition in ASEAN to meet global goals and underscored the critical role that both public and private sector leaders play in mobilizing sustainable finance for long-term regional resilience.
This training programme comes at a particularly important time. The transition towards a green economy represents both an urgent necessity and a strategic opportunity for ASEAN countries” – Chisa Mikami, Head, UNITAR Hiroshima Project Office
By equipping government officials and private sector leaders with the knowledge, networks and practical tools needed to drive the green economic transition, the programme reflects a shared commitment to a resilient and inclusive green economy across the region.
The programme also draws on UNITAR's experience in the UN Partnership for Action on Green Economy (PAGE). Launched in 2013 in response to the call at Rio+20 Conference in Rio de Janeiro, UN PAGE brings together five United Nations agencies; UNEP, UNDP, ILO, UNIDO and UNITAR, whose combined expertise supports partner countries in their transition to an Inclusive Green Economy (IGE) through policy advice, assessments, capacity building and analytical tools. Over the past decade, UN PAGE has developed world-class learning materials on the green economy, and this programme extends that body of knowledge to participants across ASEAN.
Alongside this established expertise, the programme introduces an innovative approach to expert engagement: the "multi-dimensional mentoring model". Moving beyond conventional one-to-one mentorship, the model connects participants with dedicated thematic specialists and rotating industry practitioners from the Japanese private sector, ensuring that learning is shaped by policy, academic and business perspectives alike and grounded in UNITAR's long-standing expertise in professional learning.
A Three-Phase Journey: Building Foundations, Deepening Expertise and Driving Impact
Phase 1 – Online Learning (July to September 2026)
Over the next 11 weeks, participants will complete six self-paced online modules hosted on UN CC:e-Learn, drawing on world-class learning materials developed under UN PAGE and covering the fundamentals of sustainable finance, sustainable finance taxonomies, climate finance, green fiscal policy, energy transition, and climate-related financial disclosure frameworks.
Participants will also attend six expert-led webinars that complement the online modules. The webinar series will introduce them to the four thematic areas of the programme:
- Sustainable banking and green fintech
- Energy transition
- Carbon markets and emissions trading
- Green fiscal policy
At the end of Phase I, participants will submit an early-stage green economy project proposal. These proposals will be assessed to select the 200 top performers who will be invited to continue to Phase II.
Phase II – Thematic Specialization and Mentoring (October-December 2026)
Two hundred participants will advance to Phase II, where they will be organized into four thematic cohorts of 50 participants each. This phase introduces a new approach to expert engagement called the “multi-dimensional mentoring model”, in which each cohort receives dedicated mentoring from a specialist in their thematic area, complemented by engagement with rotating industry practitioners from the Japanese private sector. This will take place across four live webinar sessions.
Throughout the phase, participants will refine and complete their project proposals. The final submission will serve as the basis for selection to Phase III.
Phase III – Japan–ASEAN Green Investment Summit (February 2027)
The top 50 participants from Phase II – approximately 12 to 13 from each thematic cohort – will be invited to Tokyo for a three-day Japan–ASEAN Green Investment Summit in February 2027. Participants will present their project proposals to a panel of expert judges, with the top performers advancing to pitch directly to Japanese investors and private-sector representatives. The summit will conclude with a study visit to Japanese enterprises, offering participants a first-hand look at green economy innovation in action.
Programme Flyer: UNITAR Green Economic Acceleration: A Japan-ASEAN Strategic Programme for Sustainable Green Finance
About UNITAR
Established in 1965, the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) is the dedicated training arm of the United Nations. Its mission is to strengthen knowledge and skills through high-quality training, research and innovative learning solutions.
Through strategic partnerships and a global learning platform, UNITAR builds skills of individuals, and enhances capacities of institutions and organizations, particularly those in vulnerable contexts, to accelerate progress towards the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Pact for the Future. UNITAR.org