Panelist Ms. Setsuko Saya, Director for international cooperation, Disaster Risk Reduction Bureau, in the Cabinet Office, Government of Japan, said: “As businesses and office workers help communities around their workplace stay resilient at times of disaster, they must equally rely on local businesses near their homes to be helping their families stay safe; in short, we rely on each other having effective continuity plans.”

Ms. Sandra Wu, Chairperson and CEO of Kokusai Kogyo Co., Ltd., ARISE Board member and focal point for ARISE Japan, delivered four commitments from ARISE Japan members towards implementing the global plan for reducing disaster losses, the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction.

These are to utilize business expertise to raise awareness on disaster risks and their impacts and improve understanding of disaster risk; to pursue Public-Private-Academia Partnerships (PPAP) to strengthen disaster risk management systems; to encourage companies along supply and value chains to invest in resilience; and to invigorate discussions in disaster resilient societies to enhance our capacity to “build back better” in the post-disaster reconstruction phase.

The Head of UNISDR Regional Office for Asia and Pacific, Ms. Loretta Hieber Girardet, said: “One of the important messages from Sendai Framework is that while the State has the primary role to reduce disaster risk, responsibility should be shared with other stakeholders including local government, civil society, and critically the private sector. 80% of the capital investment is held by the private sector. Without their engagement, we will not be able to significantly reduce disaster risk. This is why we are here today.”

Approximately 100 people joined in the ARISE Japan’s annual symposium, held in Tokyo on March 7 and the focus this year was on the role of the private sector in helping to deliver target (e) of the Sendai Framework which seeks a substantial increase in “the number of countries with national and local disaster risk reduction strategies by 2020.”

Date:

13 Mar 2018

Sources:

United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction - Regional Office for Asia and Pacific (UNISDR AP)

Themes:

Advocacy & Media, Private Sector, Recovery

Hazards:

Earthquake, Tsunami

Regions:

Asia