Strengthening National Platforms for Effective Use of Science and Technology for Disaster Risk Reduction

2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 1199-1206
Author(s):  
Satoru Nishikawa ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Reduction ◽  
Disaster Risk Reduction ◽  
Science And Technology ◽  
Disaster Risk ◽  
International Strategy ◽  
Disaster Reduction ◽  
United Nations General ◽  
Primary Responsibility ◽  
Effective Use ◽  
National Disaster

The Guiding Principles of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030 state that “(a) Each State has the primary responsibility to prevent and reduce disaster risk, including through international, regional, subregional, transboundary and bilateral cooperation,” and “(b) Disaster risk reduction requires that responsibilities be shared by central Governments and relevant national authorities, sectors and stakeholders, as appropriate to their national circumstances and systems of governance.” The need for a multi-sectoral national mechanism for disaster reduction was recognized during the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction (IDNDR) 1990–2000, and the responsibility was inherited to the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR). The United Nations General Assembly Resolution 56/195, which was adopted in December 2001, called upon Governments to establish national platforms or focal points for disaster reduction. At the Global Forum on Science and Technology for Disaster Resilience, held in Tokyo in November 2017, a plenary session focusing on National Platforms was organized and ways for the effective integration of the knowledge and expertise available within the national science and technology community in the national disaster risk reduction activities were discussed. This paper examines how the idea of national platform for disaster reduction evolved since the beginning of IDNDR. This paper further reviews and illustrates the previous discussions on National Platforms from 2005 to 2015 as well as existing guidelines on National Platforms. Based on the discussions carried out during the Forum, five recommendations adopted by the Forum are introduced.

scholarly journals From Yokohama, Hyogo, and Sendai to the World: The Global Legacy of Kobe

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (s1) ◽  
pp. s133-s133
Author(s):  
Frank Archer ◽  
Caroline Spencer ◽  
Dudley McArdle
Keyword(s):  
Risk Reduction ◽  
Disaster Risk Reduction ◽  
Disaster Risk ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
International Strategy ◽  
World Conference ◽  
Disaster Reduction ◽  
Sendai Framework ◽  
The Rich ◽  
The Third World

Introduction:The Hyogo and Sendai Frameworks for Disaster Reduction are well known and have been influential globally. However, less is known of their broader contexts.Aim:A recent opportunity to visit Kobe, Japan, provided an opportunity to experience the rich, and largely unknown tapestry behind the scenes of the Hyogo and Sendai Frameworks. This paper aims to illuminate the journey of the Kobe Legacy and its global influence.Methods:An experiential visit to Kobe and exploring its rich resources relating to disaster risk reduction.Results:The First World Conference on Natural Disasters, was held in Yokohama, Japan, in 1994. Almost immediately, Kobe experienced the Great Hanshin Earthquake, January 17, 1995, resulting in 6,434 dead, 43,792 injured, and 249,180 homes damaged. The United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (2000 – 2005) culminated in the Second World Conference on Disaster Reduction, Kobe, 2005 and the Hyogo Framework for Action 2005 – 2015. The Great East Japan Earthquake occurred on March 11, 2011, with 18,453 dead or missing, 6157 injured, 1.1M homes damaged, with a tsunami and nuclear accidents. The Third World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction followed in Sendai in 2015 with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015 – 2030 agreed on. Subsequently, the Sendai Framework has further evolved. However, behind the scenes, Kobe has developed a rich tapestry of insightful and valuable resources which will be outlined in this presentation.Discussion:In the words of the Mayor of Kobe, Mr. Tatsuo Yada in 2010, “I would like to reaffirm my determination to never allow our experiences of the disaster to fade away. It is our responsibility to make the utmost effort for disaster prevention and mitigation and keep passing on our experiences and the lessons learned to future generations”. This is the real legacy of Kobe.

Role Played by Science and Technology in Disaster Risk Reduction: From Framework Planning to Implementation

2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 1222-1232 ◽  
Author(s):  
Toshio Koike ◽  
Haruo Hayashi ◽  
Kenji Satake ◽  
Kenichi Tsukahara ◽  
Akiyuki Kawasaki ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Reduction ◽  
Disaster Risk Reduction ◽  
Science And Technology ◽  
Disaster Risk ◽  
Sendai Framework ◽  
Primary Responsibility ◽  
The Status ◽  
Synthesis Report ◽  
Technological Community ◽  
Disaster Science

The Hyogo Framework for Action, which was adopted in 2005, promotes the creation and strengthening of national platforms designated as national integrated disaster risk reduction (DRR) mechanisms. The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030 (the Sendai Framework) emphasizes the role played by science and technology in DRR decision-making and the importance of the support provided by the international scientific and technological community in DRR. The Global Forum on Science and Technology for Disaster Resilience 2017 (Tokyo Forum 2017) agreed to formulate guidelines supporting national platforms for DRR by efficiently utilizing scientific and technological tools and producing a synthesis report on disaster science and technology. Since each country is attributed the primary responsibility for implementing the aforementioned agreement according to its national needs and conditions, it should develop a mechanism that allows all stakeholders to share information on science and technology for DRR in their own language. Each national platform should review the status and issues of ongoing DRR efforts based on scientific and technological knowledge, enhance multi-sectoral discussion among various stakeholders about how DRR should be implemented in the country, and achieve consensus on the practical measures to be designed and implemented from a macro perspective. This paper defines a series of actions to be performed by the national platform of each country as the “Nation’s Synthesis” and proposes the relevant functions and international cooperation frameworks to be established.

scholarly journals Views from the Frontline: A critical assessment of local risk governance in South Africa

2013 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Doret Botha ◽  
Dewald Van Niekerk
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Risk Reduction ◽  
Disaster Risk Reduction ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Disaster Risk ◽  
Global Network ◽  
International Strategy ◽  
Risk Governance ◽  
Disaster Reduction ◽  
Local Risk

In 2005 the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction introduced the ‘Hyogo Framework for Action’ (HFA) aimed at mainstreaming disaster risk reduction. Subsequently, the ‘Global Network for Disaster Reduction’ (GNDR) was formed to support the implementation of the HFA. The GNDR initiated a country-based, international research project called ‘Views from the Frontline’ (VFL) in order to measure progress at local level in terms of compliance with the HFA. The VFL 2011 project focused on local risk governance, which is critical for effective implementation of policy and provision of resources at grassroots level. This article provides insight into the findings for South Africa. The project made use of quantitative and qualitative data. Quantitative data was gathered by means of a survey and/or questionnaire consisting of 20 questions on ‘indicators’ which assessed progress toward the goals of the HFA. The surveys also provided for qualitative commentary. The target population for this research consisted of local government officials and community representatives. Based on the quantitative scores for all the different indicators, the research showed that South Africa could still improve significantly in terms of compliance with the HFA. More attention must be given to operationalise the HFA at local level, a culture of safety must be fostered, local actors and communities must be involved directly and consulted, indigenous knowledge must be recognised, and significant capacity development for disaster risk reduction is necessary.

scholarly journals Reflections on a Science and Technology Agenda for 21st Century Disaster Risk Reduction

2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-29 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amina Aitsi-Selmi ◽  
Virginia Murray ◽  
Chadia Wannous ◽  
Chloe Dickinson ◽  
David Johnston ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Reduction ◽  
21St Century ◽  
Disaster Risk Reduction ◽  
Science And Technology ◽  
Disaster Risk

Special Issue on NIED Frontier Research on Science and Technology for Disaster Risk Reduction and Resilience 2020

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (6) ◽  
pp. 675-675
Author(s):  
Haruo Hayashi ◽  
Ryohei Misumi
Keyword(s):  
Risk Reduction ◽  
Disaster Risk Reduction ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Science And Technology ◽  
The United States ◽  
Disaster Risk ◽  
Risk Information ◽  
Shaking Table ◽  
Scale Model ◽  
Special Issue

We are very pleased to publish the Special Issue on NIED Frontier Research on Science and Technology for Disaster Risk Reduction and Resilience 2020. There are nine papers in this issue. The first two papers concern hazard and risk information systems: Sano et al. constructed a real-time risk information map for flood and landslide disasters, and Hirashima et al. created an alert system for snow removal from rooftops. These systems are already in use on the NIED website. The next three papers are case studies of recent storm disasters in Japan and the United States: Cui et al. analyzed the time variation in the distribution of damage reports in the headquarters for heavy-rainfall disaster control in Fukuoka, Shakti et al. studied flood disasters caused by Typhoon Hagibis (2019), and Iizuka and Sakai conducted a meteorological analysis of Hurricane Harvey (2017). Regarding volcanic disasters, Tanada and Nakamura reported the results of an electromagnetic survey of Mt. Nasudake. This special issue also includes three papers on large-scale model experimentation: Danjo and Ishizawa studied the rainfall infiltration process using NIED’s Large-Scale Rainfall Simulator, Kawamata and Nakazawa conducted experiments concerning liquefaction, and Nakazawa et al. reported the results of experiments on seismic retrofits for road embankments. The experiments used E-Defense, the world’s largest three-dimensional shaking table. We hope this issue will provide useful information for all readers studying natural disasters.

An Approach to Next-Generation Water Disaster Study – In Commemoration of the 10th Anniversary of the Establishment of ICHARM –

2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 1031-1031
Author(s):  
Toshio Koike ◽  
◽  
Kuniyoshi Takeuchi ◽  
Shinji Egashira
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Risk Reduction ◽  
Disaster Risk Reduction ◽  
Science And Technology ◽  
Disaster Risk ◽  
Disaster Prevention ◽  
Mitigation And Adaptation ◽  
Drought Prediction ◽  
Water Disaster

In March 2015, the Third World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction adopted the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction with a two-part goal: to prevent new and reduce existing disaster risks through the implementation of integrated and inclusive measures that prevent and reduce hazard exposure and vulnerability to disaster, and to increase preparedness for response and recovery, thus strengthening resilience. The first priority for action was given to ”understanding disaster risk,” including focusing on the collection and use of data, risk assessment, disaster prevention education, and awareness raising. The stance of emphasizing science and technology was clearly expressed. In September 2015, the UN Summit meeting adopted the 17 goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Four of the 17 goals include targets related to disaster prevention and mitigation, which has given rise to active discussions over measurement methods and indicators for the targets. The Paris Conference of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP21), held from the end of November to early December 2015, placed an emphasis on the importance of science and technology in both mitigation and adaptation. In light of these international discussions and their outcomes, we called for papers on the following three topics for this special edition featuring water disasters. (1) Prevention of new water disaster risks: rainfall prediction, flood and drought prediction, river bed change prediction, climate change, land use plans, etc. (2) Reduction of existing water disaster risks: disaster data and statistics, risk monitoring, risk assessment, etc. (3) Resilience reinforcement and inclusive measures: disaster recovery, risk communication, competence development, etc. Nineteen papers were applied to this special issue. All papers were peer reviewed, and sixteen papers are included herein. We received invaluable comments and suggestions for all applications from the points of view of various fields from many experts in Japan and overseas. We would like to express our gratitude for these.

Message from Editors-in-Chief

2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 393-393
Author(s):  
Haruo Hayashi ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Reduction ◽  
Disaster Risk Reduction ◽  
Chief Editor ◽  
Disaster Risk ◽  
Disaster Reduction ◽  
Disaster Research ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Professional Journal ◽  
High Quality Study ◽  
Quality Study

Journal of Disaster Research (JDR) is a comprehensive, peer-reviewed professional journal published in Japan for studies on disaster reduction with all-hazard approach and has published more than 1,000 papers since 2006. I took over the chief editor from Dr. Takiguchi last September to help Dr. Murakami. I would like to keep working on publishing high-quality study achievements from JDR, as a clearinghouse site of disaster risk reduction and resilience information in Asia. I very much hope for your continued cooperation.

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