World Lake Day, designated by the United Nations General Assembly in December 2024 to be observed on August 27, traces its origin to the opening day of the first World Lake Conference, which was hosted by Shiga Prefecture in 1984 in Shiga, Japan. Since then, Shiga Prefecture has been actively working to mainstream lake environmental issues within the global water agenda.
World Lake Day is a day for countries to recognize the importance of lakes and to work together to conserve and restore lakes and related ecosystems for sustainable management.
To commemorate the establishment of World Lakes Day, Shiga Prefecture would like to hold a special session in cooperation with its sister and partner provinces or states, as well as other entities connected to Shiga through shared lake-related initiatives.
Specifically, the governments of Japan and Indonesia; the State of Michigan, USA; the Province of Hunan, China; the State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil; the State of Burgenland, Austria; and the City of Managua, Nicaragua, will share best practices in lake environmental conservation and discuss actions that can be taken to build momentum for World Lake Day.
Through this session, we aim to strengthen cooperation among the relevant parties and accelerate the global movement for lake environmental conservation.
Participants will have the opportunity to learn about advanced case studies from around the world—including Lake Biwa and the Great Lakes—and to engage in discussions and exchange ideas with the speakers.
We would like to hold this special session on July 22.