On 17–18 September 2023, the 8th National Conference for Promoting Disaster Risk Reduction, known as Bosai Kokutai, was held at Yokohama National University in Japan. Groups from diverse sectors hosted sessions, workshops and exhibitions to share their initiatives, and around 16,000 people participated in total.
The Japan CSO Coalition for Disaster Risk Reduction (JCC-DRR) held a session titled “Proposals from Civil Society on the Latest Disaster Prevention Measures,” aiming to promote DRR practices that leave no one behind. Five speakers representing civil society and the business sector shared the challenges and lessons they encounter while engaging in DRR activities.
Early Warning Systems (EWS) were a key focus of discussion. More attention has been paid to EWS among civil society since UN Secretary General António Guterres launched the Early Warnings for All initiative at COP27 in 2022.
General Secretary of Church World Service Japan Takeshi Komino gave an overview of the international discussion on EWS and stressed that Japan should become more involved in such discussions in light of the country developing its own EWS.
It is important for local communities to be involved in developing and installing EWS in their areas. This increased involvement fosters a sense of ownership and results in more effective crisis management at the local level.
While implementing EWS significantly reduces the number of disaster victims, this technology is not enough to sufficiently prevent all potential effects from disasters on its own. SGI Director for Sustainable Development and Humanitarian Affairs Nobuyuki Asai presented recommendations for improving how EWS are implemented. In particular, he emphasized that it is important for local communities to be involved in developing and installing EWS in their areas. This increased involvement fosters a sense of ownership and results in more effective crisis management at the local level, based on research conducted by member organizations of JCC-DRR.
Yukari Karashima of Peace Boat Disaster Relief then introduced challenges faced in coordination at evacuation shelters. She emphasized the importance of better short-term and long-term management plans that respond to the needs of a given community.
Tomoyuki Miura of Project Rias—a group based in Kesennuma City in Miyagi Prefecture, which was devastated by the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake—presented his experiences in coordinating discussions with local government, experts and residents to reconstruct the local community after the earthquake. He emphasized that it is important to strengthen local autonomy and to identify possible societal divisions that may arise during emergencies.
Finally, Kiyomi Nakamura of Japan Conservation Engineers, introduced cases of successful partnerships with civil society organizations, including CWS Japan and Shapla Neer. She confirmed that partnerships between the business sector and civil society have succeeded in generating solutions that incorporate both hardware and software approaches.
After sharing their individual perspectives, the speakers exchanged views on potential risks that should be addressed before an emergency occurs and concrete actions toward better DRR.
