SDGs is a term you often hear on TV and elsewhere—but do you really understand it?
In a nutshell, SDGs stands for the Sustainable Development Goals.
It’s a set of goals for everyone around the world to work together to solve issues like environmental problems, discrimination, poverty, and human rights challenges by 2030.
Many people may feel like they understand that there are many problems and difficulties, but actually don’t fully grasp them.
Let’s have both adults and children learn about the SDGs through songs themed around the global goals!
Cute animations and dance tracks make it easy for kids to understand!
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Songs that sing about the SDGs / have the SDGs as their theme (1–10)
swallowYOASOBI with Midorīzu
This is the theme song of the NHK program “Hirogare! Iro Tori Dori,” which makes learning about the SDGs fun.
It’s YOASOBI’s 13th digital-only single, based on Nana Otsuzuki’s “A Small Swallow’s Big Dream.” The work won the grand prize in a project that solicited stories from children aged 6 to 19.
The lyrics ask: In this world, there are people who are happy and people who are suffering and crying—what will you do in such moments? It’s a song that prompts listeners to pay attention to the various issues unfolding around the world.
A mnemonic song for the 17 SDGs goalsAo (Kamiki Ryunosuke) & Kii (Nikaido Fumi)
In NHK’s children’s program “Hirogare! Iro Toridori,” there’s a song called “The SDGs Song” that helps kids understand the SDGs in an easy-to-grasp way.
This track is one of them.
The lyrics include all 17 SDG goals.
It can be hard to memorize by just reading the words, but turning them into a song makes it easier for children to remember.
The song is performed by the show’s characters Ao and Kii.
Ao is played by actor Ryunosuke Kamiki, and Kii is played by actress Fumi Nikaido.
Sheee-suuu ~You hold the fate of the fish!~namichie
There are 17 goals set out in the SDGs, such as “No Poverty” and “Zero Hunger.” One of them is “Life Below Water,” and this song is a track in which rapper Namichie expresses that goal.
It was featured in the NHK program “Break!” in the segment called “SDGs Creators Chronicles.” The lyrics describe the current state of the ocean and the issues we want to solve for the future.
By tying these themes to foods that kids love, the song helps even children easily understand the seriousness of ocean-related problems.
SDGs Song Goal 2: Zero HungerAo (Kamiki Ryunosuke) & Kii (Nikaido Fumi)
There are people who cannot eat, cannot get nutrition, and end up losing their lives.
This song addresses the SDGs goal “Zero Hunger,” which was set to solve that problem.
You may have heard the word “poverty” in the news, but in Japan we don’t often encounter the word “hunger.” Through this song, you can learn that there are people who want to eat but cannot, and it offers a chance to think about food loss.
It may also change how children think about meals.
SDGs Song Goal 3: Good Health and Well-Being for AllAo (Kamiki Ryunosuke) & Kii (Nikaido Fumi)
This song is about the SDGs goal “Good Health and Well-Being for All.” The word “welfare” might be difficult for children, but listening to this song may help them get a sense of what it means.
In Japan, when you get sick you can go to a hospital to get medicine or receive treatment, but in fact that’s a privilege.
Around the world, many people cannot receive treatment even when they are ill, and countless lives are lost.
I hope this song encourages children—the ones who will shape the future—to take a moment to look toward welfare activities.
SDGs Song Goal 5: Achieve gender equalityAo (Kamiki Ryunosuke) & Kii (Nikaido Fumi)
The word “gender” has become something we hear often these days.
This song, which sings about the SDGs goal of “Achieve gender equality,” expresses a desire to change a world that categorizes people by sex.
In Japan, distinctions are still sometimes made simply because someone is a woman or a man, but from now on it should be an era that values individual will and goals over gender to create the future.
We want a society where people can freely choose marriage, work, hairstyles, and clothing without being constrained by gender.
SDGs Song Goal 1: No PovertyAo (Kamiki Ryunosuke) & Kii (Nikaido Fumi)
This song is about the SDGs goal “No Poverty.” It was featured on NHK’s children’s program ‘Hirogare! Irotoridori.’ The lyrics explain “What is poverty?” in a way that’s easy to understand.
For children in Japan, it’s normal to have a place to go home to and to find food when they open the refrigerator.
But around the world, many people don’t have those things we take for granted.
This is a song we want children to hear, as it delivers a direct message about the seriousness of poverty, which can be a matter of life and death.