What is the World Bosai Forum?

The World Bosai Forum logo is an image of people gathering together and thinking creatively. The 4 colors in the logo symbolize industry, government, academia, and the private sector.

In 2015, at the third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction held in Sendai, Japan, the "Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030" was adopted. Japan, who hosted this conference, is expected not only to develop domestic disaster risk reduction policies further but also to strengthen cooperation with the international community, being a strong leader in the implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction.

As part of this plan, the “World Bosai Forum/International Disaster Risk Conference in Sendai” will be held biennially from 2017 onward, in cooperation with the “International Disaster and Risk Conference IDRC Davos” held in Switzerland. Bosai is a traditional Japanese term, indicating a holistic approach to reduce human and economic losses from disasters, which represents activities in all disaster phases, including prevention, mitigation, response and recovery . The World Bosai Forum invites experts from Japan, the international community, and local residents to discuss disaster risk reduction strategies devised by industry, government, academia, and the private sector. The purpose of the forum is to provide an opportunity for people from a wide variety of backgrounds to share the world's latest disaster risk reduction expertise, create specific disaster prevention solutions, and disseminate the lessons learned from the Great East Japan Earthquake to the rest of the world.

What is the "Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction”?

It is an agreement indicating the course of action needed to reduce disaster risks worldwide. The United Nations agreed to promote disaster risk reduction according to these international policies from 2015 to 2030. The title of the agreement commemorates "Sendai," the location where the conference was held, by using its name. The specific methods for promoting disaster risk recution efforts were entrusted to all the stakeholders in attendance, with all required to contribute.

How Tohoku University and IRIDeS contributed

Tohoku University and IRIDeS shared responsibility for managing the World Bosai Forum and gave their full-fledged support to organizing the first event. The Director of IRIDeS, Professor Fumihiko Imamura, served as the World Bosai Forum Committee Chairperson, while the President of Tohoku University, Professor Susumu Satomi, served as the Committee President. The World Bosai Forum Secretariat was established within IRIDeS with an IRIDeS Professor Yuichi Ono as the Secretary-General, and they made diligent preparations in cooperation with various related agencies, including the City of Sendai.

The World Bosai Forum Committee

This committee was comprised of Tohoku University, City of Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, Kahoku Shimpo Publishing Co., the Tohoku Economic Federation, Global Risk Forum GRF Davos, and the Sendai Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

The first World Bosai Forum ended in a great success

The commemorable first World Bosai Forum was held at the Sendai International Center and the Tohoku University Centennial Hall (Kawauchi Hagi Hall) from November 25 to 28 in 2017. Forty-nine sessions and 27 mini-presentations were held, beginning with the “Pre-World Bosai Forum Festival” as a free event, open to the public, held the day before the main sessions started. In addition, there were 93 poster presentations and 12 exhibition booths. Further, while the forum was being held, there was also a field trip excursion to study the disaster areas.

In total, there were 947 registrants, who traveled to participate in the conference from 42 countries and regions. The forum was a great success, with the final number of participants totaling more than 10,000 people, including citizens and stakeholders attending the "Bosai Kokutai," and "the Bosai Industry Fair."

The activities of the first World Bosai Forum and achievements

One of the main characteristics of this World Bosai Forum was the participation of a diverse group of people hoping to gain an understanding of the practical side of disaster risk reduction rather than mere theory. In the section below, the various activities and achievements of the first World Bosai Forum are introduced.

The Pre-World Bosai Forum Festival

Approximately 700 people participated in the opening event "Pre-WBF Festival: Learning from the disaster, bridging to the future” held in partnership with Science Agora. During Part One, the younger generation from Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima Prefectures, having experienced disasters, announced serious initiatives aimed at reconstruction and disaster risk reduction. Katsuya Oonishi, the mayor of Kuroshio in Kochi Prefecture, who has advanced their disaster risk reduction strategies preparing for a large Nankai trough earthquake, encouraged the younger generation saying, "Superficial things do not move people. An attitude that is seeking substance brings about the most sympathy and gets the support of others.”

Part Two focused on the cultural aspects of reconstruction and disaster risk reduction. There was a demonstration of the gallant traditional art form of the "Namiita Tiger dance," performed by residents of Namiita, Kesennuma (a disaster area), as an expression of gratitude for all the support from within Japan, as well as around the world. The ensemble of the Sendai Philharmonic Orchestra members and a concert by NHK Sendai Boys and Girls Choir impressed everyone with their performances such as "Azure" and "Flowers will Bloom" songs that were filled with hopes of reconstruction.

Recovery Study Group students of Iwate Prefctural Otsushi High School

The Tiger Dance that empowered people in the reconstruction of disaster areas

Openings

The World Bosai Forum opening ceremony was held separately following the joint opening with “Bosai Kokutai” where the  Minister of State for Disaster Management, Hachiro Okonogi, also attended. A university student from Rikuzentakata who had lost her family members due to the Great East Japan Earthquake shared her determination for the future. Thereafter, disaster risk reduction leaders from around the globe gathered, including Robert Glasser, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General (SRSG) for Disaster Risk Reduction and Head of the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction. They summarized the state of progress for each of their organizations on the "Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction." Then they expressed their hopes and expectations of the World Bosai Forum.

Sessions

A wide variety of sessions was held. These sessions included "The knowledge front of disaster risk reduction” (organizer: Elsevier) that clarified the research trends and topics on disaster risk reduction  and "Sustainable development thorough DRR Investment” (organizer: JICA) to discuss how to realize pre-investiments for disaster risk recution in developing countries. The kick-off symposium was hosted by Tohoku University as the university has been officially recognized as one of the three designated national universities with its world-class disaster science. In addition, the "The role of ICT in disaster risk Reduction -A session about the envisioned future utilizing Fujitsu’s ICT solutions-” (organizer: Fujitsu) talked about how the Global Centre for Disaster Statistics can contribute to the sustainable development goals specified by the UN. Lively discussions about cutting-edge disaster risk reduction topics were held at all of these sessions.

World Bosai Survey

A questionnaire survey related to the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction was conducted to participants in the World Bosai Forum, entitled the "World Bosai Survey.” The results highlighted some very interesting trends. These included the following: while only 30 percent of the respondents had attended the 3^rd UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction, 70 percent of the respondents were aware of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, and most respondents identified "earthquakes" as the disaster they felt their country was most at risk of experiencing in the future. This survey was conducted to inform global disaster risk reduction policies in the future. It might have been the first disaster risk reduction awareness survey that has ever been conducted on a global level.

The Summary at the Closing Ceremony

Fumihiko Imamura, the World Bosai Forum Committee Chairperson, presented the "Chair’s Summary" that compiled the results of the World Bosai Forum. The major talking points were organized into three areas: "science and technology;" "policies and finance;" and "society and culture.” In the area of science and technology, major topics discussed were related to cutting-edge scientific technologies for disaster risk reduction, including tsunami simulations, drones, big data analytics, and the application of space technology. Meanwhile, in the area of policies and finance, they discussed the importance of policies and financial supports that are necessary for disaster risk reduction. These were primarily themed around the recovery from the Great East Japan Earthquake, as well as around how to incorporate disaster risk reduction in the sustainable development strategies of developing nations. Finally, in the area of society and culture, topics were discussed such as: the various groups involved in disaster risk reduction activities, their situations, and challenges; the needs of those vulnerable to disasters; and local disaster risk reduction traditions.

Chairperson Fumihiko Imamura pointed out that the simultaneous functioning of these three areas is essential for disaster risk reduction. There is the saying "Disasters strike when they have been forgotten" as recognized by Torahiko Terada. Chairperson Imamura made a pun related to this saying and closed the Fourm by stating "As far as we do not forget about disasters, we can handle them."

Moving toward the next World Bosai Forum

During the first World Bosai Forum, diverse participants shared their cutting-edge disaster prevention technologies, science, and knowledge from around the globe, promoting the "Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction." The Forum also served as the setting for a rich cultural exchange. The plan is to hold the World Bosai Forum biannually while working in cooperation with the International Disaster and Risk Conference IDRC Davos in Switherland. The hope is that each time this forum is held, it will provide a space to share the latest disaster prevention expertise, passing on the Great East Japan Earthquake experiences to the next generation and rest of the world. The lessons learned from the 2011 disaster should not just fade away.

The "Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction" has made SENDAI a disaster risk reduction keyword that is recognized worldwide. The World Bosai Forums of the future will aim to develop a safer society by joining forces with citizens and specialists from various fields and spreading BOSAI from SENDAI to the rest of the world.

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