WBF 2019 Report | WORLD BOSAI FORUM 2019

Message from World Bosai Forum Foundation

The World Bosai Forum/International Disaster Risk Conference@Sendai 2019 was successfully convened. We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to all those who participated in the sessions, exhibitions, posters, and mini-presentations, as well as to the many local people who came to the event.

871 participants from 38 countries and regions attended the World Bosai Forum. Those who participated in the study tour along with the forum saw the reconstruction of the areas affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami. The total number of participants reached approximately 11,000, including exhibitors and visitors to the simultaneous event " Sendai Bosai Future Forum " "The 10th Earthquake Technology Expo Tohoku" and general public visitors to the World Bosai Forum. As in 2017, the event was a great success.

At the forum, 50 oral sessions, 3 keynote speeches, 47 poster sessions, 33 mini-presentations, and 14 exhibition booths were held to discuss the promotion of "Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, 2015 -2030" and in particular the achievement of Global Target E, which was a sub-theme of the forum. Specific solutions to "BOSAI" were shared, and the contents, including lessons learned from the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami, were suitable for a global forum in terms of both quality and quantity. In particular, there were many sessions in which young people and companies played a key role.

At the closing ceremony, following the presentation of the winners of the poster presentation, the "Chair's Summary" was announced, clarifying the main themes and trends of the discussion at the World Disaster Prevention Forum 2019, and stating the issues for the next meeting. The main themes were as follows: (1) Progress and issues regarding the formulation of national and regional disaster risk reduction plans required in the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction Target E, (2) Maturation of relatively new disaster risk reduction fields and remaining issues, (3) Changes in risks and uncertainties due to climate change, (4) Importance of the private sector in disaster risk reduction, (5) New technologies and issues related to disaster risk reduction, (6) Importance of the activities and further participation of young and next generation experts, (7) Continuation of disaster memory and awareness, and (8) Possibility of reconstruction. At the Third World Bosai Forum, it was proposed to encourage more active participation of the private sector and young people, and to hold well-planned sessions on interdisciplinary approaches.

Yet, we cannot celebrate the forum's success in the face of frequent disasters. The results of the 2nd World Bosai Forum were presented in dedication to the victims of the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami. As disasters believed to be the effects of climate change occur frequently around the world, the World Bosai Forum intends to communicate concrete solutions to adaptation through dialogues among industry, government, academia and the private sector, while valuing the viewpoints of women and young people.

We would like to hold the 3rd World Bosai Forum in November 2021, 10 years after the Great East Japan Earthquake. We would like to plan a forum that meets this need, and we look forward to your continued support and cooperation.

World Bosai Forum Foundation
Founder, Yuichi Ono

Sessions

50 oral sessions and 3 keynote speeches were made with active discussions.

List of Meeting Sessions and Presentation Movies

Posters/Exhibitions

Posters

There were 47 poster presentations, including both academic ones by researchers and practical ones by private sector.

Poster Award

MIZAN BUSTANUL FUADY BISRI
Affiliation：United Nations University-Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability
Title：SEARCH (Search Engine for Research on Risk and Resilience) - CARI! (Cerdas Antisipasi Risiko Bencana di Indonesia)
2-1 Adrian Dela Cruz Romero presenter
2-2 Imelda N. Oponda　First author
Affiliation：University of Santo Tomas
Title：HERSTORY: FACILITATING PARTICIPATORY DISASTER RISK ASSESSMENT TO THE SINGLE-MOTHERS OF SUB-URBAN POOR RESETTLEMENT HOUSING IN PHILIPPINES
An Chi CHENG
Affiliation：Tohoku University
Title：A proposed framework for clarifying consequence impacts chain of tsunami hazards on global seaborne network

Exhibitions

The following 14 organizations/groups presented their activities at their exhibition booths.
Miyagi University / Japan BCP Inc / Kochi University of Technology / Resilient ICT Research Center, National Institute of Information and Communications Technology / National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Resilience / GADRI／DPRI / CONSAM CO.,LTD. / Disaster Management Training Center / Disaster Management Training Center / Disaster Management Training Center / TRUSTIA CORPORATION / Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) / BOSAI POINT PROJECT. / Weathernews Inc

Flash Talk Presentation

15-minute long Flash Talk presentations were made by researchers, high school and university students, private sector, general public, and others.

List of Flash Talk Presentations and Presentation Slides

Report

1. Overviews

Dates

Saturday 9th – Tuesday 12th November, 2019

Venue

Conference Building, Sendai International Center/ Kawauchi Hagi Hall, Tohoku University

Main achievements

50 oral sessions, 3 keynote speeches, 47 poster sessions, 33 mini-presentations, and 14 exhibition booths were held to discuss the promotion of "Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, 2015 -2030" and in particular the achievement of Global Target E, which was a sub-theme of the forum. Specific solutions to "BOSAI" were shared, and the contents, including lessons learned from the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami.
871 participants from 38 countries and regions, including Japan, attended the forum. The main affiliated organizations of the conference registrants were international organizations including the United Nations, research institutes and universities, national governments and municipalities in Japan and abroad, and private sector.
On the November 9th (Saturday), the WBF Pre-Conference Festival (free and open to the public) were held with approximately 450 participants, including the general public, members of the press, speakers and performers.
The total number of participants reached approximately 11,000, including exhibitors and visitors to the simultaneous event " Sendai Bosai Future Forum " "The 10th Earthquake Technology Expo Tohoku" and general public visitors to the World Bosai Forum. As in 2017, the event was a great success.
Study tours to the tsunami-affected area conducted by the City of Sendai provided opportunities to learn about the experiences and lessons learned from the Great East Japan Earthquake and the state of recovery in the suburbs of Sendai.
Tohoku University President, Hideo Ohno, Vice President, Nobuyoshi Hara, Director of the International Research Institute of Disaster Science, Fumihiko Imamura delivered greetings and presentations in opening and other sessions, shared the roles played by Tohoku University towards the recovery of the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami.
At the closing ceremony, the "Chair's Summary" was announced, clarifying the main themes and trends of the discussion at the World Disaster Prevention Forum 2019, and stating the issues for the next meeting. The main themes were as follows: (1) Progress and issues regarding the formulation of national and regional disaster risk reduction plans required in the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction Target E, (2) Maturation of relatively new disaster risk reduction fields and remaining issues, (3) Changes in risks and uncertainties due to climate change, (4) Importance of the private sector in disaster risk reduction, (5) New technologies and issues related to disaster risk reduction, (6) Importance of the activities and further participation of young and next generation experts, (7) Continuation of disaster memory and awareness, and (8) Possibility of reconstruction. At the Third World Bosai Forum, it was proposed to encourage more active participation of the private sector and young people, and to hold well-planned sessions on interdisciplinary approaches.

Future plans

Consider participation in the International Conference on Disaster Risks (commonly known as Davos Conference on Disaster Prevention) in 2020
Considering holding the “3rd World Disaster Prevention Forum” in Tohoku around autumn 2021