Fumiko Noguchi

Fumiko Noguchi joined the Education for Sustainable Development Programme at the United Nations University Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability (UNU-IAS) in April of 2019. Born in Tokyo, she received an undergraduate degree in international economics and finance from Tsuda University.  After her first career experience in banking in Japan, she moved to Australia to obtain a Master’s degree in Environmental Education at Griffith University.  Since then, she has lived and worked in Japan and Australia.  She completed her PhD at RMIT University in Australia, in the area of Education for Sustainable Development with a focus on local community development and indigenous people in Japan.

In twenty-plus years of work experience before joining UNU-IAS, Dr. Noguchi gained extensive experience in practice, policy advocacy, research, teaching and module development in the area of adult and community education for sustainable development in the Asia-Pacific region.  She has worked for business, NGOs, the UN, research institutes and universities internationally.  During the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2004-2015), she acted as a programme coordinator for the Japan Council on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD-J).  She provided policy guidance to the Japanese Government and UNESCO, and at major international conferences on sustainability, such as the G8 summit, CBD/COP, and Rio+20.

With her focus on indigenous/traditional/local communities and knowledge, she has conducted practice and research projects in close collaboration with diverse community groups, including Australian and Japanese indigenous peoples (Ainu people), mothers of infants and babies, and small-scale farmers.