summary
Event: 5th Liaison Meeting of Science Council of Japan, Academic Societies, and Ministries and Agencies on Disaster Prevention
How do we develop human resources for disaster prevention and mitigation?
Date: Wednesday, August 8, 2023, 13:30 – 17:45
Location: Auditorium of the Science Council of Japan (hybrid face-to-face/online event)
Main Participants
Science Council of Japan (Academic Collaboration Committee on Disaster Prevention and Mitigation), 62 academic associations of the Academic Collaboration for Disaster Prevention, officials from government ministries and agencies involved in disaster prevention, Yukinari Hosokawa (Head of Disaster Prevention Group, Global Environment Department, JICA)
Background and Objectives
JICA was asked to speak at the annual liaison meeting for information exchange between the Science Council of Japan’s Academic Collaboration Committee on Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, academic societies and associations in the field of disaster prevention, and relevant government ministries and agencies. The theme of the meeting was human resource development for disaster prevention and mitigation, and each organization presented their latest efforts and discussed future initiatives.
Contents
At the beginning of the meeting, Ms. Masako Yoneda, Chairperson of the Academic Cooperation Committee on Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, representing the academic associations, and Mr. Kenji Takahashi, Director for Policy Management, Cabinet Office, Government of Japan, representing the government ministries and agencies, made opening remarks and expressed their expectations for this meeting and the need for human resource development for disaster prevention and mitigation.
The session on “Human Resource Development for Disaster Prevention and Mitigation” was followed by presentations by the Fire and Disaster Management Agency, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Japan Meteorological Agency, Cabinet Office (Disaster Prevention), and others on their efforts to develop human resources for disaster prevention and mitigation in Japan, with an emphasis on disaster response and preparedness. Mr. Hosokawa, Director General of the Disaster Prevention Group, gave the following presentation on JICA’s efforts to develop human resources for disaster prevention.
JICA’s efforts to develop human resources for disaster reduction in developing countries
First, as a representative example of technical cooperation related to human resource development, we highlighted the subject-specific training program “Seismology, Earthquake Engineering, and Tsunami Disaster Prevention” by the National Institute for Building Research and Development, which was started in 1960. The program has been in operation for more than 60 years and has produced approximately 2,000 trainees from 105 countries. He also introduced the fact that this training program was awarded the “Pioneering Activity Category” of the 6th JAPAN Construction International Award sponsored by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism in June of this year, and emphasized its contribution to human resource development. In addition, he also shared the case studies related to human resource development such as “JICA Graduate School of Development Studies Collaboration” and “JICA Chair,” which are closely related to academic research institutions, and how the continuous dispatch of experts to the Philippine Department of Public Works and Highways has greatly contributed to the development of engineers and organizational improvement in the flood control sector in the Philippine government. The meeting also included examples related to human resource development such as “JICA Development Graduate School Collaboration” and “JICA Chair,” which are closely related to academic research institutes.
JICA’s Position and Future Direction in the Development Cooperation Program and Other Policies
Regarding the future direction of JICA’s human resource development, he emphasized that JICA will nurture human resources who will lead the next generation in line with the revised Development Cooperation Program Guidelines in June 2023, so that they will be linked to the challenges Japan is facing and to economic growth; that JICA will use human resources who are knowledgeable and friendly to Japan, the fruits of its cooperation to date, as human assets to strengthen relations with other countries; and that JICA will continue to enhance its study abroad and training programs in order to make Japan the training destination of choice for developing countries. He also emphasized that Japan will continue to enhance its study abroad and training programs in order to be the “country of choice” for training in developing countries.
The Position of Human Resource Development in International Trends and JICA’s Cooperation Approach
Touching on human resource development and the expected role of academic and research institutions in the Sendai Framework for Disaster Reduction 2015-2030, which reflects Japan’s knowledge on disaster reduction, he shared JICA’s Global Agenda for Disaster Reduction and Recovery, stating that collaboration with diverse stakeholders is essential for disaster risk reduction. He shared JICA’s Global Agenda for Disaster Reduction and Recovery.
Contribution to International Brain Circulation and Case Studies of Intellectuals and Pro-Japanese
Lastly, I mentioned JICA’s contribution to the international brain circulation between Japan and developing countries, as well as examples of intellectuals and pro-Japanese human resources, and how President Hrelsuf of Mongolia, who visited Japan on a JICA training program in 1994, also visited JICA Headquarters when he was Deputy Prime Minister in charge of disaster management, which greatly advanced JICA’s cooperation in disaster management. He also mentioned that JICA’s cooperation in disaster management has made great strides since then,
During the Q&A and wrap-up session, some of the speakers from JICA commented that the session provided them with an opportunity to reaffirm the importance of case studies on human resources who are both knowledgeable and pro-Japanese, and the importance of respecting the target countries as equal partners and building a good face-to-face network on a daily basis. The speakers also commented that the event provided them with an opportunity to reaffirm the importance of respecting the countries with which they cooperate as equal partners and of building a good face-to-face network. The presentation also provided an opportunity to impress upon those involved in academic and research institutions in the field of disaster reduction the importance of human resource development for disaster reduction in Japan through international cooperation, and that JICA functions as a platform among those involved in disaster reduction in Japan.
JICA will continue to promote the JICA Global Agenda for Disaster Reduction and Recovery, serve as a platform for human resource development in Japan and abroad, and further promote disaster risk reduction in each country through the development of internationally knowledgeable and pro-Japanese human resources to lay the foundation for sustainable development. We will continue our efforts to reduce disaster risks in each country through the development of internationally knowledgeable and pro-Japanese human resources.
© Source JICA
Auto Amazon Links: No products found.
Auto Amazon Links: No products found.