"Build Back Better Recovery & Reconstruction Seminar ~sharing Japan's earthquake experience~" held one month after the earthquake in Vanuatu

Seminar Title: Build Back Better Seminar in the Republic of Vanuatu
Date: Thursday, January 23, 2025 14:00~16:30 (local time)
Organiser: Vanuatu Ministry of Infrastructure and Public Works (MIPU) and JICA
Location: Port Vila, capital of the Republic of Vanuatu

Speakers:
<Vanuatu side>
Mr. Johnson Binal (Director General, MIPU)

<Japan side>
Mr. Naohisa OKUDA (Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Embassy of the Japan in Vanuatu)

Prof. Satoru NISHIKAWA (JICA Senior Advisor, Disaster Risk Reduction Group)

Participant:
Over 80 people from Vanuatu and Japan, including government officials from Vanuatu and other development partners (Australia　and New Zealand)

On December 17, 2024, a magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck off the coast of Port Vila, the capital of the Republic of Vanuatu, causing multiple buildings to collapse and landslides in multiple places, killing 14 people and injuring over 200. JICA began providing emergency relief supplies and assistance for medical information management immediately after the earthquake. In addition, to ensure a smooth transition from emergency supports to recovery & reconstruction supports, JICA Disaster Risk Reduction Group dispatched a "Rapid Assessment Mission for Post-Disaster Recovery and Reconstruction" from January 5, 2025, with the aim of assessing the damage situation, identifying recovery and reconstruction needs based on Build Back Better, and collaborating with other development partners.

The purpose of this seminar was to share the experiences of reconstruction and recovery from the earthquakes in Japan, and to encourage the Vanuatu government to use them as a reference for thinking about the future vision of reconstruction and recovery.

At the beginning of the seminar, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to the Republic of Vanuatu, Mr. Naohisa OKUDA expressed his condolences for the recent earthquake disaster and expressed his hope that the experience of Japan's recovery & reconstruction from the earthquake disaster will be utilized towards more resilient society & infrastructure in Vanuatu.

Prof. Satoru NISHIKAWA, a Senior Advisor at Disaster Risk Reduction Group in JICA, explained that basic infrastructure such as ports, airports, roads and bridges, electricity, and water supply are the foundation for reconstruction and recovery from the earthquake disaster, and that the reconstruction of life (medical care, education, housing) and the economy can be built on this foundation. In addition, Japan's history and experience of disaster response & recovery were shared, and a wide range of experiences such as modification of earthquake resistance standards, earthquake resistance of important buildings such as government buildings, and strengthening of critical infrastructure such as ports were introduced based on his own experiences, while showing photos of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake in 1995, the Niigata-Chuetsu Earthquake in 2004, the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011, and the Noto Peninsula Earthquake in 2024. In Vanuatu, in particular, even one month after the earthquake, access to the central city (CBD), which is the center of tourism and economy, is still restricted, so the experience of urban development in Kobe attracted a great deal of interest from the attendees.

In his closing remarks, Mr. Johnson Binaru, Director General of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Public Works of Vanuatu, emphasized the importance of working on recovery and reconstruction based on the concept of Build Back Better, and expressed his desire to work together with development partners. In addition, he delivered his powerful message that it is important for the Vanuatu government to make a vision for building a more resilient country and pass the experience of the earthquake in this time to future generations.