The Center for Global Commons (CGC) was established in August 2020 to realise then-President Makoto Gonokami’s vision that “universities should play a leading role in driving social change through collaborative creation with leaders in a wide range of fields that transcend the boundaries of academia in order to seek fundamental solutions to the challenges facing humanity.” Prof Naoko Ishii is Professor at the Institute of Future Initiative and Executive Vice President at The University of Tokyo, where she is also Director for the Center for Global Commons. She had served as CEO and Chair of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) for eight years immediately prior to its establishment and was appointed as the first Director with the mission of the Center to “build a new framework for stewarding the global commons for a sustainable future” at the University.