22-27 June 2014 (Bangkok, Thailand)
The Asian Disaster Reduction Center (ADRC) participated in the 6th Asian Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (6th AMCDRR) held in Bangkok, Thailand from 22 to 26 June 2014. The conference participants included more than 3,000 delegates, ministers, and top government officials, as well as UN agencies, international organizations, and NGOs. The objectives of this conference were to generate stronger political commitment for and investments in disaster risk management among the nations of Asia, and to stimulate discussions around the formulation of a post-2015 framework for DRR in preparation for the upcoming 3rd WCDRR to be held in Sendai, Japan. ADRC also helped arrange several side events and facilitated a pre-conference meeting as follows.
[Side Event (SE7): Introduction and Demonstration of the DRR Education Tools and Efforts for Getting Wider Participation of Communities]
ADRC conducted a side event entitled "Introduction and Demonstration of the DRR Education Tools and Efforts for Getting Wider Participation of Communities"" on 23 June 2014 during the 6th AMCDRR. The session aimed to introduce good practices in CBDRM, highlighting disaster education tools that have been promoted by local NGOs and local governments since the 1995 Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake. It also focused on efforts to raise DRR awareness and training programs for local government officials based on lessons learned from that earthquake. The side event was also intended to facilitate discussions around how to localize such tools and efforts in other countries, and it highlighted some successful localization activities from Asia and other parts of the world.
After the introduction by ADRC, Mr. Masahiko Murata from the Disaster Reduction and Human Renovation Institution (DRI), Mr. Nobuhito Ohtsu of the Kobe City Fire Bureau, and Dr. Ikaputra of Gadjah Mada University introduced their DRR efforts, all of which are based on lessons learned from the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake. First, Mr. Murata of DRI gave a presentation entitled "Hyogo Prefecture's Effort for Capacity Development of Local Government Officials and Raising Awareness of the Public"" in which he introduced the training programs targeting mayors, local government officials, and local residents, as well as efforts to raise public awareness. Mr. Ohtsu of Kobe City next explained "BOKOMI," a community-based disaster risk management organization that has been promoted by Kobe City since the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake. He emphasized the importance of self-self and mutual-help, in addition to public help.
After these two presentations, Dr. Ikaputra of Gadjah Mada University described an example of how disaster education tools have been adapted to Yogyakarta, Indonesia. "Iza! Kaeru Caravan!" is a Japan-based disaster education and awareness raising program for children that was developed by NPO Plus Arts based in Kobe. He localized the tool and conducted the program in Indonesia, ensuring close coordination between Plus Arts and the local residents of Yogyakarta. He concluded his presentation by stressing the need for disaster education for children, as well as the importance of ensuring the beneficial application of various tools within local contexts. Lastly, Mr. David Korunic of AXA Group introduced an example of how CBDRM has been promoted by the private sector and NGOs, explaining AXA-CARE International's joint initiative for building disaster resilience in local communities in Thailand and the Philippines. At the end of the session, all the participants confirmed that there is a need for the development of good educational tools for CBDRM which are based on past experience as well as local contexts. They also highlighted the need for the well-coordinated localization of tools, as well as the benefits of involving the private sector and various stakeholders in CBDRM activities.
[Side Event (SE40): Promotion of DRR Initiatives in Private Sector and Strengthening Public - Private Partnership for Local Resilience Building : Towards HFA2 to be Adopted in 3rd WCDRR in Sendai]
On 25 June 2014, ADRC and the APEC Emergency Preparedness Working Group (EPWG) co-chaired a Side Event entitled " Promotion of DRR Initiatives in Private Sector and Strengthening Public-Private Partnership: for Local Resilience Building: towards HFA2 to be Adopted in 3rd WCDRR in Sendai " Experts from ADRC, APEC EPWG, Sendai City, the Development Bank of Japan, JICA, and Mitsubishi Corporation Insurance gave presentations on their good practices related to the these subjects.
Dr. Wei-Sen Li from the APEC Emergency Preparedness Working Group gave a presentation on surveys on BCP status, BCP Guidelines for SMEs, and relevant training activities in the APEC region. Sendai City Vice Mayor, Mr. Yukimoto Ito introduced projects involving collaboration with the private sector, civil society organizations, and communities such as disaster-resilient town planning and the formation of agreements with the private sector regarding logistics and evacuation in times of disaster. Sendai City was recognized as a Role Model in the 2010-2015 World Disaster Campaign "Making Cities Resilient" and will host the 3rd UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in March 2015. Mr. Tadao Hasue, Deputy General Manager, and Ms. Kumi Onuma, Associate, Tohoku Branch, Development Bank of Japan gave a presentation on their region-wide plans and activities targeting the Tohoku Region including the establishment of the Tohoku Alliance, a Tohoku‐based platform for a flexible alliance among diverse entities in Japan and abroad for knowledge and information sharing. JICA Senior Advisor Dr. Hitoshi Baba introduced JICA's new concepts of "Area BCP" and "Area BCM," which refer to a scalable cross-sector coordination framework for disaster management for business continuity. He also outlined how these are being applied in a pilot project in industrial clusters in the ASEAN region. Mr. Takahiro Ono of Mitsubishi Corporation Insurance then commented on the importance of improving disaster resilience of both private sector enterprises and local governments, and on strengthening community-wide networks to ensure that the best actions are taken. Finally, ADRC Executive Director Mr. Kiyoshi Natori summarized the discussions to conclude the event.
[Pre-Conference (PC-8): Satellite Data and Information to Supplement Regional and National DRR Systems and to Assist Local Communities at Risk]
On 22 June 2014, JAXA and ADRC cooperated in organizing a pre-conference entitled "Satellite Data and Information to Supplement Regional and National DRR Systems and to Assist Local Communities at Risk." The purpose of this event was to share information on how satellite data and information are being used for DRR, to investigate user needs, and to promote the expansion of cooperative structures among operators, governments, and communities with regard to the collection and use of satellite data. This pre-conference was divided into two sessions.
The first session was on "Progress and Issues with Existing Regional and National (Coordination and Management) Initiatives and Related Access Mechanisms." Dr. Lal Samarakoon from AIT showed outcomes of the space technology session at ACDR 2014 which was held in Tokyo in March. Dr. Shirish Ravan from UNOOSA also reported on the outcomes of the ASEAN workshop, given its position as a UN-SPIDER activity. ADRC reported on regional DRR requirements and activities. Mr. Pierre-Henri Pisani from the Embassy of France in Japan explained the latest efforts in the development of an international charter to promote the use of space technologies worldwide. Dr. Sanjay Kumar Srivastava from UNESCAP mentioned harnessing regional cooperation for enhancing national capacity for disaster risk management. And representing JAXS, Mr. Chu Ishida introduced the Sentinel Asia evolution and space agencies' recommendations for HFA2. He also announced that a new satellite, the ALOS2 was launched in May 2014.
The second session was on "Working with Communities at Risk: Initiatives and Projects Devoted to the Use of Earth Observations for the Benefit of Local Communities." Good practices in the use of space technologies in DRR were reported on by Tajikistan, China, Bangladesh, and the Philippines. Professor Shunichi Koshimura from Tohoku University gave a presentation on the analysis and use of satellite images during the Great East Japan Tsunami. Mr. Hiroshi Une from the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan introduced some of the basic data developed by that organization and proposed ways that it might be developed for the DRR field. Professor Ryosuke Shibasaki from the University of Tokyo explained the use of big data and space technology for DRR.
This pre-conference was tied to the morning pre-conference which was organized by UN-SPIDER. Both organizers put together a proposal on the importance of investing in the systematic generation of products based on space-based and geospatial information.
Final Plenary Session and the "Bangkok Declaration"
At the plenary session held on the final day of the conference, participants adopted the "Bangkok Declaration" to conclude the event. Its policy recommendations to nations and stakeholders are as follows:
1. Enhance resilience at local levels
2. Improve public investment in disaster and climate risk management to protect and sustain development gains
3. Promote public and private partnerships for DRR
4. Promote science and technology
5. Enhance governance, transparency, and accountability
6. Contribute to the global deliberation on the Post-2015 Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction and the development of an Asia-Pacific Regional HFA2 Implementation Plan
7. Ensure that the Post-2015 Framework for DDR is consistent with sustainable development goals and climate change efforts
(2014/06/22 18:30)