Press Releases
Courtesy call on State Minister for Foreign Affairs KUNIMITSU by Mr. Kishore, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction and Head of the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR)
On May 19, commencing at 12:40 p.m. for approximately 20 minutes, Dr. KUNIMITSU Ayano, State Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, received a courtesy call from Mr. Kamal Kishore, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction and Head of the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), who is currently visiting Japan.
- At the outset, State Minister KUNIMITSU noted that disaster risk reduction is of critical importance in building an international community based on human security, and expressed Japan's intention to further strengthen cooperation with UNDRR. In response, Special Representative Kishore expressed his respects for Japan’s expertise and initiatives in the field of disaster risk reduction, and stated his intention to strengthen the partnership with Japan in this area.
- State Minister KUNIMITSU also expressed the expectation for accelerating the implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction through the High School Students Summit on "World Tsunami Awareness Day" to be held this year and the Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction to be held next year. Both sides expressed their commitment to further strengthening their cooperative relationship toward the mainstreaming of disaster risk reduction globally.
- Furthermore, State Minister KUNIMITSU noted that the active participation and increased presence of Japanese staff is important for strengthening cooperation between Japan and UNDRR and requested support for it.
(Reference1) United Nations for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR)
UNDRR is a United Nations entity established in 2000. It implements various initiatives aimed at building disaster-resilient nations and communities, with the objectives of reducing disaster-related damage and losses and mitigating disaster risk, recognizing disaster risk reduction as an essential element of sustainable development.
(Reference2) Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (APMCDRR)
The Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction is an international conference hosted by UNDRR. It brings together ministers responsible for disaster risk reduction from approximately 60 countries in the Asia-Pacific region to discuss disaster prevention measures and other related topics. In May last year, in Geneva, Switzerland, Minister of State for Disaster Management (at the time) Sakai・Manabu met with Special Representative Kishore, and they agreed that the next conference, scheduled for 2027, would be held in Sendai City, Japan.
(Reference3) Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction
The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction is the International Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction adopted at the Third United Nations World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction. To facilitate the assessment of progress toward achieving the Framework's goals, seven global targets have been established.