Efforts to Formulate a Local Disaster Risk Reduction Plan through the Knowledge Co-Creation Program "Promotion of Mainstreaming Disaster Risk Reduction"

September 7, 2018

From August 27 to September 7, 2018, JICA carried out the Knowledge Co Creation Program called "Promotion of Mainstreaming Disaster Risk Reduction." Managed by JICA's Kansai Region for nine participants from seven countries, this course, which will be conducted again in 2018 was based on the "Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction's Global Target (e)," to substantially increase the number of countries with national and local disaster risk reduction strategies by 2020.

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Visit to the flooded area in Mabi-cho, Kurashiki City.

In the first week, lectures and site visits were made in Tokyo, mainly on the role of the central government, the disaster risk management policies and the measures by line ministries. In the second week, lectures on the role of local governments, such as prefectures and municipalities and their local disaster risk management policies and measures, were given in Kobe. Site visit to Mabi cho, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture, which was battered by serious floods in July, was also made, and practical exercises on the development of local DRR plans were also conducted.

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Preparation of local disaster prevention plan along "8 steps".

As the preparation for exercises, each participant was requested to designate his country's target local government and submit the required information such as basic data, disaster history, existing regional plans, and important infrastructure locations before his trip to Japan. In the exercises, participants and staffs from the Disaster Management Group of JICA formed teams to confirm and discuss, cooperatively, the "Practical Guide for Developing Local Disaster Risk Reduction Plans toward 2020 (8 steps) [Note 1]," and present each step with the work results shown on topographic maps and arranged with sticky notes. At the end of every exercise, each participant presented his self made local DRR (zero draft) and explained the plan for a seminar in his own country for sharing the knowledge he obtained in the training course, the plan to utilize the knowledge earned, and the feedback to the program for the succeeding year.

Conventional knowledge on the co creation program in the field of DRR had usually dealt with both pre disaster measures and post disaster responses. However, many participants are likely to be interested in emergency response after a disaster. As a result of eliminating the emergency response after a disaster as much as possible, the participants in this training course voiced their understanding, for the first time, of the importance of pre disaster investment in DRR.

JICA will continue making contributions to promote the Global Target (e) through participation in global platforms, etc., and to reflect on such training course as the "Comprehensive Disaster Risk Reduction," etc., by conducting a study on the program module that should focus on the priority issues as adopted in the" Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction."

<Comments from Mr. Kimio Takeya, Distinguished Technical Adviser to the President of JICA>

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Closing ceremony.

This knowledge co creation program is based on the first phase of the "Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, Global Target (e)," that is, to "substantially increase the number of countries with national and local disaster risk reduction strategies by 2020." This is the first program, even in the Disaster Management Group, that include practical exercises for formulating pre disaster investment plans in agreement with the risk characteristics in each locality.

In May 2018, the new representative of UNISDR, Ms. Mizutori, Assistant Secretary General and Special Representative of the Secretary General for Disaster Risk Reduction, visited Mr. Kitaoka, JICA President, and they shared a sense of crisis about the achievement of Global Target (e). JICA then received a request from Ms. Mizutori that it should take the lead in achieving the Global Target (e).

In July 2018, upon the request of the Permanent Mission of Japan to the International Organization in Geneva, JICA presented to the stakeholder countries at the UNISDR support group meeting, the eight (8) steps for developing local disaster risk reduction plans (≈ investment plans).

Under such a background, this knowledge co creation program was the first practical program in which the curricula focused on the achievement of the Global Target (e). JICA will strive to mainstream and standardize the substance of the program curricula in every phase of DRR projects, including yen loan projects, worldwide.

From such a challenging viewpoint, JICA had the staff from the Disaster Management Group assign a participant who shall be responsible for the program in his own country, and have all of them work together to perform the practical exercises by taking advantage of this opportunity. In the future, JICA plans to improve the contents of all other DRR related training courses in accordance with the following procedure: (1) Practice the Global Target (e), (2) Secure the budget, and, finally, (3) Promote specific DRR projects.