Organized by the World Bank and the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery, the Understanding Risk Global Forum (UR24) was held in Himeji, Japan from 16–21 June 2024. This biennial global forum has been held in different locations around the world. With the 30th anniversary of the Great Hanshin Awaji Earthquake approaching in 2025, Himeji, located about 30 kilometers west of the epicenter of the quake, was chosen as the venue for this year’s forum. It brought together over 1,700 Disaster Risk Management (DRM) experts and practitioners from 135 countries.
Lessons from UR24 will also be used by the World Bank in its endeavors to highlight the issues of disaster risk reduction and effective recovery after disasters.
On 20 June, a side event titled "How Can Japan Contribute to Anticipatory Action and Early Warnings for All?: Introducing Cross-Sector Initiatives" was held by the Japan CSO Coalition for Disaster Risk Reduction (JCC-DRR), of which SGI is a member.
Since the launch of the “Early Warnings for All” initiative in 2022, Japan has developed and extensively integrated early warning systems (EWS), and in 2023, the Japanese government established a public-private council to disseminate EWS in the Asia-Pacific region. The council organizes consultations where government officials and private companies exchange views on how to apply the companies' products and services. JCC-DRR, a civil society network in Japan, is an observer on the public-private council and has conducted research on EWS in Japan and created a proposal for effective dissemination in different countries. By hosting the side event at UR24, the group aimed to share lessons learned from these experiences and provide diverse perspectives on EWS.
At the side event, on behalf of the council, Yoshiyuki Yagiri, Chief Engineer of Pacific Consultants and a council member, shared planned EWS initiatives that will be implemented in Thailand and Vietnam. Nobuyuki Asai of SGI introduced the outline and key messages of the JCC-DRR’s research and proposals on EWS, emphasizing the importance of involving local communities in the process. Sakiko Kambara, Professor at Kobe Nursing University, shared her own evacuation experience following the flooding in western Japan in 2018, and stressed the need to answer the vital question of how evacuation-related information actually reaches people. A Q&A session followed.
As the target year of 2027 for the Early Warnings for All initiative approaches, it is essential for everyone—especially those who are equipped with technology and experience—to unite and take action toward this goal. In Japan, the JCC-DRR plans to continue advocacy for meaningful dissemination of EWS in pursuit of “Leaving no one behind.”
