About the Forum

World Bosai Forum/International Disaster Risk Conference 2017 in Sendai

The Sendai Framework, a global framework for disaster risk reduction, was adopted as the outcome document of the Third United Nations World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction. Japan has been a leading country in the field of disaster risk reduction, and it has also received warm support around the world at the time of the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011. As the host country for the Third United Nations World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction held in 2015, Japan is not only required to promote domestic measures of disaster risk reduction but also is expected to take the lead in the Sendai Framework, deepening international cooperation.

As a part of our commitments, we will start holding the “World Bosai Forum/ International Disaster Risk Conference” from this year in Sendai City every two years, in partnership with the International Disaster and Risk Conference (IDRC) in Davos, Switzerland. Officials and experts from domestic and overseas industries, governments, academia and private sectors as well as local citizens will gather at the Forum, and findings and lessons from the Great East Japan Earthquake will be shared with the world. The World Bosai Forum also aims to create practical solutions for disaster risk reduction, instilling the term “Bosai” that encompasses a comprehensive concept from disaster risk reduction to reconstruction and recovery, and share it with the world. We hope that hosting this Forum regularly will make Sendai/Tohoku a place that is leading the world in Bosai and will also contribute to building back Tohoku disaster areas better.

The First World Bosai Forum is scheduled to be held from November 25th to 28th, 2017, mainly at the Sendai International Center. The forum will be composed of meetings for experts and multi-stakeholders in the field of disaster risk reduction, and also events open to the public. The IDRC is a renowned conference where many disaster risk reduction specialists especially from Europe and the US gather. In the World Bosai Forum in Sendai, we look forward to meeting many officials and experts especially from Asia, and also a wide range of citizen participants.

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, recovery, response and mitigation.

Overview

Conference Name: The World Bosai Forum / International Disaster and Risk Conference 2017, Sendai
Scheduled Dates: From Saturday, 25th to Tuesday 28th, November, 2017
Venues: Sendai International Center and Kawauchi Hagi Hall, Tohoku University
Organizer: World Bosai Forum Committee
(Administration: Secretariat of the World Bosai Forum (in the International Research Institute of Disaster Science, Tohoku University)
Co-organizers: Tohoku University, City of Sendai, Global Risk Forum GRF Davos, Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST)
Partnership: Director General for Disaster Management, Cabinet Office, Government of Japan／Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology - Japan／Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan／Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism／Reconstruction Agency／Miyagi Prefectural Government／Aomori Prefectural Government／Iwate Prefectural Government／Fukushima Prefectural Government／Global Alliance of Disaster Research Institutes (GADRI)／Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU)／NHK Sendai Station (Japan Broadcasting Corporation Sendai Station) ／Sendai Television Incorporated／Tohoku Broadcasting Co., Ltd.／Miyagi Television Broadcasting Company, Ltd.／Higashinippon Broadcasting Co, Ltd.／Sendai FM Broadcasting Inc.／The Asahi Elementary Newspaper/The Asahi Student Newspaper／The Asahi Shimbun Sendai General Bureau／The Mainichi Shimbun Sendai Bureau／The Yomiuri Shimbun Tohoku Bureau／The Sankei Shimbun Tohoku General Bureau
Expected Participants: A total of 500 specialists and citizen participants from various sectors including research institutions, international organizations, government organizations, corporate enterprises, and non-governmental organizations.

World Bosai Forum Committee

Committee Chairperson

Fumihiko Imamura
Director
International Research Institute of Disaster Science,
Tohoku University

Vice-Chairperson

Yukimoto Ito
Vice Mayor
of Sendai City

Members

	Shinsuke Yamauchi Director-General of Crisis Management Miyagi Prefectural Government		Shinichi Takeda Head of Disaster Risk Reduction-Education Office Kahoku Shimpo Publishing Co.