TANAKA Akihiko

UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction, Margareta Wahlström(left) and JICA President Akihiko Tanaka shake hands after the signing.

Sendai, 17 March 2015 – A new partnership memorandum will bring impetus for mainstreaming disaster risk reduction (DRR) globally. The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) (1) and the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) (2) signed a Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) to establish a framework for a new partnership between the two organizations. The MOC was signed at the occasion of the 3rd UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction, by JICA President Akihiko Tanaka and UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Disaster Risk Reduction Margareta Wahlström.

The MOC will facilitate the implementation of a new global action framework on DRR (Post Hyogo Framework of Action) to be adopted as the outcome of the Conference.

Among the areas for potential cooperation are i) mainstreaming DRR, ii) implementing post-2015 framework for DRR, especially pre-investment for DRR, strengthening DRR institutions and Build Back Better, and iii) promoting capacity development and knowledge building on DRR in developing countries.

In addition to the signing of the MOC, Tanaka and Wahlström also exchanged opinions on global trends on DRR and development and agreed to hold further policy dialogues periodically.

Notes:
1. Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)
The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) works for developing countries and areas as the comprehensive development institution in charge of Japanese Official Development Assistance (ODA). In accordance with its vision, "Inclusive and Dynamic Development" , JICA supports developing countries and areas in an integrated manner by using the most suitable cooperation tool(s), such as technical cooperation, ODA loans and investment, and grant aid.

2. United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction(UNISDR)
The UN General Assembly adopted the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction in December 1999 and established UNISDR, as a follow up to the International Decade on Natural Disaster Reduction (IDNDR) 1990-1999. The main aims of the organization are to achieve a substantive reduction of disaster losses and to build resilient communities and nations as an essential condition for sustainable development. The secretariat to ensure its implementation. UNISDR, the UN office for disaster risk reduction, is also the focal point in the UN system for the coordination of disaster risk reduction and the implementation of the international blueprint for disaster risk reduction - the "Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015: Building the resilience of nations and communities to disasters".