Press Releases
Meeting between Foreign Minister Kishida and H.E. Ms. Margareta Wahlström, UN Special Representative for Disaster Risk Reduction
On August 29, commencing at 12:10 p.m. for approximately 15 minutes, Mr. Fumio Kishida, Minister for Foreign Affairs, held a meeting with H.E. Ms. Margareta Wahlström, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction, who is visiting Japan to attend the World Assembly for Women in Tokyo: WAW! 2015. The overview of the meeting is as follows.
1. Foreign Minister Kishida started the meeting by expressing his appreciation to Special Representative Wahlström for her contributions to the Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction held in March this year and WAW!2015. He then stated that Japan intends to focus on building a resilient society and mainstreaming disaster risk reduction based on the lessons learned from the Great East Japan Earthquake and other experiences, and would like to enhance its collaboration with the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) through initiatives such as promoting the participation of women in disaster risk reduction. In response, Special Representative Wahlström once again conveyed her gratitude for Japan’s help with the holding of the Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction, and commented that she would like to collaborate closely with Japan in order to promote the “Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030” and to push forward the mainstreaming of disaster risk reduction. She added that through WAW!2015, she hopes to contribute to increasing the engagement of women in disaster risk reduction initiatives.
2. Foreign Minister Kishida expressed his gratitude for the support of Special Representative Wahlström with regard to the establishment of “World Tsunami Day,” and he introduced Japan’s support for reconstruction in Nepal, and stated that Japan intends to collaborate closely with UNISDR in areas such as the steady implementation of the “Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction” and related follow-ups.
3. In response, Special Representative Wahlström expressed that she is hoping for the establishment of “World Tsunami Day,” and commented that UNISDR intends to continue close cooperation with Japan with a view to mainstreaming disaster risk reduction based on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, COP21, and Habitat III.