Mr. Maher Nasser, Director of the Outreach Division in the United Nations Department of Global Communications, Visited NUT

June 11, 2026

Nagaoka University of Technology (NUT) has been appointed as the UN Academic Impact Vice Chair in charge of Research for SDG9 for the third term (2025-2027), following its service as the Chair during the first and second terms. Through research focused on SDG9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure), NUT is actively working toward achieving a sustainable world.

On Tuesday, May 19, Mr. Maher Nasser, Director of the Outreach Division in the United Nations Department of Global Communications and head of the UN Academic Impact, visited NUT along with Mr. Shota Urano, Associate Expert (Junior Professional Officer).

During the visit, the UN delegation exchanged views with Prof. Masatoshi Takeda, Executive Director and Vice President, and Mr. Osamu Yamashita, Executive Director and Vice President. This was followed by a discussion session between the delegation and student SDGs Promoters. In this session, after the students introduced themselves, Mr. Nasser, who has a background in engineering, shared insights into his own career and his involvement with the SDGs and MDGs (Millennium Development Goals). Mr. Urano also spoke about his career path and daily responsibilities as a UN official. During the subsequent Q&A session, students asked a wide range of questions on topics such as "what skills we need and what we should do now," "trends in the international community," and "the future of the SDGs," to which Mr. Nasser responded thoughtfully and thoroughly.

Following the discussion, the delegation toured the SDGs booth in the Techno Museum (Tekumyu) and then visited the Regional GX Innovation Co-Creation Center (GX Building). At the GX Building, guided by Mr. Sota Kabasawa (Science of Technology Innovation, 3rd-year student in 5-year Integrated Doctoral Program) and Mr. Yuto Kato (Civil and Environmental Engineering, 2nd-year student in Master's Program), they toured facilities such as the aquaponics circulation test facility.

Mr. Nasser visited NUT amidst a demanding schedule, having spoken just the day before at the High-Level Symposium Commemorating the 70th Anniversary of Japan's Admission to the United Nations. It was a rare and valuable opportunity for our students to hear firsthand from Mr. Nasser about the UN's latest global initiatives, serving as a great inspiration for their future studies and activities.

Moving forward, as the UN Academic Impact Vice Chair in charge of Research for SDG9 and a "Social Impact-Generating SX (Sustainability Transformation) Research University," we will continue to advance initiatives toward a sustainable society by further deepening its collaboration with the UN Academic Impact and conducting educational and research activities that drive social transformation.