The world faces a variety of serious challenges today. The recent reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) made it crystal-clear that the climate change such as the global warming is on-going with an amazingly rapid pace, and that it is mainly caused by the human activity; i.e., the ejection of the greenhouse gases into atmosphere through fossil fuel burning. The enormous effect of the climate change will be irrevocable, unless drastic measures will be taken immediately to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions. As if this is not enough, there are many other threats to human society. Earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, volcanic eruptions, and other massive natural disasters are wreaking serious damages, especially on major cities. It is feared that there will be a shortage of fresh water and fossil fuels in the near future. Social and economic mechanisms that used to function well are showing signs of systemic fatigue and dysfunction. These and other problems occur in a global scale, but their effects are often concentrated on the developing countries more severely.

Under these circumstances, the greatest issue that the globalized world of the 21st century must answer is the question of how humankind can discover a pathway forward so that it can continue to develop in a way that is sustainable and equitable both to various regions of the world and to different generations. In considering the sustainable development of the human society, one important issue will be the international cooperation for development among developed and developing countries. Needless to say, the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences must work together in a complementary fashion to play a role of utmost importance in conceiving rational resolutions for these serious issues.

As part of its efforts to find the ways to treat these problems, the Science Council of Japan (SCJ) has been annually organizing the International Conference on Science and Technology for Sustainability. In the last four years, this series of conferences have focused on Energy, Asian Megacities, Dynamism in Asia, and the Global Innovation Ecosystem. This year the conference will take place on September 7 and 8 in Tokyo, with the main theme of International Cooperation for Development. We aim at the discovery of strategies and tools to address today’s global-scale challenges by having eminent scholars who explore concrete issues and consider what kind of contribution science can make to their resolution.

Keynote speeches will be delivered by two widely respected scholars--Sir Partha DASGUPTA, Frank Ramsey Professor of Economics at the University of Cambridge, and Professor Yujiro HAYAMI, Senior Advisor to the Foundation for Advanced Studies on International Development. In addition, there will be three sessions to discuss various specific problems associated with the international cooperation for development; (1) Development Strategy and Human Security, (2) Science and Technology for International Development, and (3) Capacity Building and Governance. More detailed information can be found in the descriptions for individual sessions. Distinguished specialists working on these problems will take part in discussing the current state of affairs, the knowledge accumulated in tackling with real problems, and suggestions to improve the situations. Our sincere hope is that the discussions at the conference will lead to the formation of a recommendation which can be taken up by governments and other relevant bodies to carry out the effective international cooperation.