International Symposium "Climate Action and Disaster Risk Reduction" on the Web

International Symposium "Climate Action and Disaster Risk Reduction" (free of charge, no need to pre-register) will be held on Tuesday, June 30, 2020 using an online webinar system. In the symposium, the keynote speech will be given by Ms. MIZUTORI Mami, Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General (SRSG) for Disaster Risk Reduction and Head of the UNDRR, followed by a panel discussion with influential individuals. The symposium will also include an open dialogue with Ms. MIZUTORI Mami, Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General (SRSG), Mr. KOIZUMI Shinjiro, Minister of the Environment, Japan and Mr. TAKEDA Ryota, Minister of State for Disaster Management, Japan, as an opportunity to exchange opinions on adaptation to climate-related disasters which could intensify due to climate change.

1. Objectives of the symposium

In recent years, the severity of climate-related disasters has intensified across the world, and we have seen great damage caused by typhoons and heavy rainfall in Japan. Climate change is predicted to exacerbate disaster risk in the future, and so adaptation to climate change by taking measures on disaster prevention and reduction has become a pressing issue.

An international symposium on "Climate Action and Disaster Risk Reduction" will be organized to consider how the synergies between three major global agendas (the Paris Agreement, the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, and the SDGs) can be strengthened, in the context of intensifying climate-related disasters and current domestic and international climate change adaptation efforts.

The keynote speech at this symposium will be given by Ms. MIZUTORI Mami, Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General (SRSG) for Disaster Risk Reduction and Head of the UNDRR, who will introduce international trends in disaster risk reduction. This will be followed by a panel discussion with representatives from related ministries, international organizations and experts. There will then be an open dialogue with Mr. KOIZUMI Shinjiro, Minister of the Environment, Japan, Mr. TAKEDA Ryota, Minister of State for Disaster Management, Japan, and Ms. MIZUTORI Mami, Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General (SRSG) for Disaster Risk Reduction and Head of the UNDRR who will discuss specific measures being taken by Japan currently and into the future, as well as international contributions.

Note: This symposium was originally planned to be held on Sunday, March 8, 2020 in Tokyo, but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The organizers have decided to hold the symposium using an online webinar system.

Date and Time: Tuesday, June 30, 2020, 17:00-18:30 (Japan Standard Time) (GMT+09:00)

Venue: On the web conference system (Please visit the YouTube channel on https://bousai2020.tokyo/ at the starting time.)

Organizers: Ministry of the Environment, Japan, Cabinet Office, Japan, United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR)

Collaborators (to be confirmed): Cabinet Secretariat, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, Japan, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan, United Nations University Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability (UNU-IAS), United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), National Institute for Environmental Studies (NIES)

2. Program (to be confirmed)

・Opening Remarks

・Keynote Speech

Ms. MIZUTORI Mami, Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General (SRSG) for Disaster Risk Reduction and Head of the UNDRR

・Panel Discussion: "Challenges, way forward and Japan's potential contribution to international cooperation to enhance synergies between three global agendas (the Paris Agreement, Sendai Framework and SDGs)"

　Panelists:

　Dr. Youssef Nassef, Director, Adaptation Programme, UNFCCC

　Republic of Kiribati (Speaker to be confirmed)

　Dr. NAKAKITA Eiichi, Professor, Disaster Prevention Research Institute (DPRI), Kyoto University

　Mr. AMANO Yusuke, Senior Vice President, JICA

　Ms. Kate Levick, Program Leader, Sustainable Finance, E3G - Third Generation Environmentalism

　Ms. SEGAWA Keiko, Deputy Director-General, Global Environment Affairs, Ministry of the Environment, Japan

　Mr. MURATE Satoshi, Assistant Vice-Minister for Disaster Management, Cabinet Office, Japan

　Moderator:

　Dr. TAKEMOTO Kazuhiko, Senior Visiting Professor, UNU-IAS

・Open Dialogue

　Mr. KOIZUMI Shinjiro, Minister of the Environment, Japan (to be confirmed)

　Mr. TAKEDA Ryota, Minister of State for Disaster Management, Japan (to be confirmed)

　Ms. MIZUTORI Mami, Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General (SRSG) for Disaster Risk Reduction and Head of the UNDRR

・Closing

Please note the following:

• Once we decide the details on the program, we will make them available on the following website: https://bousai2020.tokyo/

• Speakers are subject to change.

• There will be no interview in order to reduce the risk of COVID-19 infection.

3. Regarding Use of Personal Information

The Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES), serving as Secretariat of this symposium, recognizes the importance of personal information and the importance of responsibility for privacy protection, and, in compliance with laws/regulations and other norms concerning personal information, shall strive to protect personal information based on the details as set out below.

https://iges.or.jp/jp/about/site-policy

Climate Change Adaptation Office Global Environment Bureau Ministry of the Environment, Japan Main: +81-3-3581-3351 Direct: +81-3-5521-8242 Director TAKAHASHI Kazuaki (Extension 6780) Deputy Director UETAKE Tomoko (Extension 6744) Deputy Director HOSHINO Yuko (Extension 7719) Specialist ORITA Tomonori (Extension 7727)

For Japanese