PROCEEDINGS THIRD UN WORLD CONFERENCE ON DISASTER RISK REDUCTION ON DISASTER RISK CONFERENCE WORLD THIRD UN THIRD UN WORLD CONFERENCE ON DISASTER RISK REDUCTION PROCEEDINGS 14-18 March 2015 / Sendai - Japan unisdr.org PROCEEDINGS THIRD UN WORLD CONFERENCE ON DISASTER RISK REDUCTION 14-18 March 2015 / Sendai - Japan “The Sendai conference outcome represents the first step of our journey to a new future”. Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations Copyrights to the photos and images of this publication are reserved by the Sendai Committee for the Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction, UNISDR and related facilities. Unauthorised copying, replication, selling and any other secondary use of the pictures are strictly prohibited. The material of this publication is copyrighted. No use of this publication may be made for resale or other commercial purposes without prior written consent of UNISDR. All images remain the sole property of the quoted sources and not be used for any purpose without written permission from the relevant sources. For permission to use, distribute or reprint any part of this publication, please contact UNISDR headquarters at [email protected] UNISDR/GE/2015 - ICLUX EN3000 - 1st Edition Acknowledgments The United Nations Office For Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) expresses its deep appreciation to donors that have provided financial support for the Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction: Australia, Colombia, Finland, Germany, Japan, Switzerland, the United States of America, and the European Union; including private sponsors such as AECOM, AXA Group, Kokusai Kogyo, the Nippon Foundation and the UPS Foundation. Our thanks also go to donors who contribute un- earmarked funding to UNISDR: Argentina, China, Denmark, Finland, Hungary, Ireland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden; a portion of their contribution was used to support the Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction. UNISDR expresses its deep gratitude to the large number of organizations, individuals and volunteers who contributed to the Conference. Appreciation is also reserved for Ecuador, Egypt, Fiji, Italy, Kazakhstan, Nigeria, Spain, Thailand who hosted preparatory regional events. The support of Japan and the city of Sendai was essential in organising the Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction. 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS Table of Contents Sendai Framework for 01 Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 12 02 Opening Ceremony 40 03 Official Statements 48 04 Ministerial Roundtables 50 High Level Multi-stakeholder 05 Partnership Dialogues 56 06 Working Sessions 62 07 Special Meetings & Ceremonies 88 08 Study Tours & Excursions 94 09 Exhibitions & Forums 96 10 Side Events 102 11 Exhibition Booths 120 12 Ignite Stage Presentations 136 13 Stakeholder Affirmations 144 14 List of Participants 160 5 Key Figures 25 Heads of State, Heads of Government & Vice Presidents 49 Intergovernmental Organizations 188 NGOs 200 Media 23 % Western European & Others Group 150 Official Sessions 8 % Latin American 340 and Caribbean Group Side Events 65 000 Tweets 185 6 593 50 000 States Accredited Visitors to the Participants Public Forum Greening Many efforts were made by the organizers and the participants to ensure a green conference. More than 2500 of them used the electronic conference box where 3 500 documents were available for electronic distribution. As a result, around ten million pages-worth were not printed, the equivalent of 124 trees. Many participants also used the electric bycicles provided by Sendai City for their transportation among the venues and several hundred travelers to Sendai voluntary carbon offset their flights. 6 Origin of Participants 3 % Eastern European Group 52 % Asia Pacific Group 14 % African Group Accessibility The Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk • The on-site electronic document portal for the Reduction focused on accessibility which was Preparatory Committees and the Conference was recognized and appreciated by participants. Several audited for accessibility and modified according to initiatives were developed to ensure the inclusion of recommendations. the participants living with disabilities. • Support for travel costs was offered for participants • English real-time captioning was provided in living with disabilities and their respective personal plenary sessions and English and Japanese real- assistants for the Preparatory Committees and the time captioning in a number of other meetings. Conference. Accessible transport from Sendai City In addition, twenty tablets were provided to was provided on request. participants living with disabilities to ensure an • Promotion of issues related to disability and easier access to captioning. inclusion was ensured and a specific accessibility • International Sign Language (ISL) as well as guide was developed and distributed at the venue Japanese Sign Language (JSL) were provided on of the Conference. an on-demand basis and the Government of Japan These initiatives were made possible with the support provided mid-room and back-of-room display of the Nippon Foundation. screens to allow participants living with disabilities to view ongoing sessions. 7 8 FOREWORD Margareta Wahlström United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction Foreword The Third United Nations World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction was a seminal event in the calendar of the post-2015 development agenda, a fact which was underlined by the presence of their Majesties the Emperor and Empress of Japan at the opening ceremony, alongside representatives from 185 States including over 25 Heads of State, Vice Presidents, and Heads of Government. This World Conference took place amidst growing concern about the sustainability of development efforts in the context of increasing vulnerability and exposure to disaster events which are now costing the global economy between US$250 billion to US$300 billion annually. The human consequences of this were powerfully brought home by the President of the Republic of Vanuatu, H.E. Mr. Baldwin Lonsdale, whose address to the Conference coincided with one of the most powerful storms ever to hit a Small Island Developing State, Category 5 Cyclone Pam, which claimed several lives and laid waste to 90% of the island’s agriculture. The President of Kiribati, H.E. Mr. Anote Tong, said that if his country had taken a direct hit from Cyclone Pam, it could have faced extinction. Disaster risk reduction is not just about survival in the face of calamities such as Cyclone Pam or a strong earthquake such as the one which has devastated Nepal just over four weeks after the close of the Conference, it is about building resilience in the fullest sense of the term. This means developing the innate coping capacities of communities to manage the risks in their environment in a way that keeps them safe from harm and improves their quality of life. This is the driving force behind the outcome of the World Conference. It has resulted in a 15-year plan of action with seven global targets and four priorities for action: the “Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030”. The Sendai Framework can have a revolutionary impact on sustainable development because of its far-reaching inclusive nature. The Sendai Framework builds on the solid achievements of the last decade of implementing the “Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015: Building the Resilience of Nations and Communities to Disasters” and zooms in on the need to switch emphasis from disaster management to managing the risks. The outcome document also makes clear that far greater attention must be paid to social and health-related issues in the implementation. The States backing this agreement recognise that progress depends on a whole-of-society approach which must be inclusive of key stakeholder groups including women, persons living with disability, youth and children, older persons, indigenous people, the private sector and civil society in all its diversity. All the while emphasising that States have primary responsibility for reducing disaster risk. At the opening of the Conference, the UN Secretary-General stated that “Sustainability starts in Sendai”. 2015 is the year of opportunity to make concrete progress on a universal vision and plan for sustainability. The Sendai Framework is a start. It will be followed later in 2015 by agreements on climate change and a set of sustainable development goals which will be critical to efforts to reduce disaster risk and to implementation of the Sendai Framework. A determined and sustained momentum will be required to achieve the targets set for 2030. 9 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 10 WORKING SESSIONS 11 PROCEEDINGS - Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 01 2015-2030 Sendai Declaration 12 SENDAI FRAMEWORK FOR DISASTER RISK REDUCTION 2015-2030 Sendai Declaration 1 We, the Heads of State and Government, ministers and delegates participating in the Third United Nations World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction, have gathered from 14 to 18 March 2015 in Sendai City of Miyagi Prefecture in Japan, which has demonstrated a vibrant recovery from the Great East Japan Earthquake in March 2011. Recognizing the increasing impact of disasters and their complexity in many parts of the world, we declare our determination to enhance our efforts to strengthen disaster risk reduction to reduce disaster losses of lives and assets