Nations across the world must increase their efforts, both on an individual basis and collectively, to combat the rising number of natural disasters which annually cause thousands of deaths and billions of dollars in material damage, according to JICA Senior Vice-President Kenzo Oshima.
Oshima delivered an opening remarks Sunday (January 17) to the Asian Conference on Disaster Reduction 2010 in the city of Kobe on the 15th anniversary of an earthquake which devastated that city and surrounding areas, killing more than 5,000 persons.
Following that disaster, the Second UN World Conference on Disaster Reduction 2005, adopted a Hyogo Declaration and a Framework for Action 2005-2015 to tackle disasters. Sunday's conference marked the halfway point of the Declaration and was designed to review progress and "clarify issues and challenges for the next five years," according to Oshima.
"It is a matter of increasing concern that disaster risks (such as earthquakes, floods, cyclones, hurricanes, typhoons and droughts) are clearly on the rise," Oshima said in his prepared remarks.
Deaths, injuries and damage caused during such catastrophes far outpace the havoc caused by armed conflict, the JICA official said. In 2008 alone there were more than 220 major disasters-around half of them in the Asia-Pacific region-- which affected more than 55 million people, causing some 7,000 deaths and US$15 billion in material damage.
The inconclusive results of the December, 2009, climate change meeting in Copenhagen underlined how "extraordinarily complex and difficult it is to reach an international agreement on climate change," Oshima said, but in a note of urgency he underlined that "While international efforts at consensus building continue, global warming does not wait."
Japanese medical staff help survivors of a 2006 earthquake in Indonesia.
What is needed is an accelerated effort, both individually and collectively to tackle the problem, he said. "Alarmingly, we are witnessing increases in the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events and the consequences," Oshima said in his remarks. "Therefore, we must pay serious attention to efforts to combat these trends in the short, medium and long term."
He added: "We must strive to implement priorities in our own countries and through international cooperation so that governments and local authorities, international and regional organizations and non governmental organizations work together. We also need to accelerate the implementation of these activities."
Established by the Framework for Action, these activities include: ensuring disaster risk reduction becomes a national and local priority; identifying, assessing and monitoring risk and enhancing early warning; using knowledge, innovation and education to build a culture of resilience at all levels; reducing underlying risk facts and strengthening disaster preparedness.
Japan, itself prone to natural disasters, has accumulated vast experience and technological experience and, principally via JICA, has been helping developing countries in three main areas namely, providing immediate emergency help in the wake of a catastrophe; rehabilitation and reconstruction during recovery and most particularly, in 'mitigation and preparedness" - or helping states avoid impending disasters or 'mitigating' the effects if a catastrophe does occur.
Oshima briefly outlined some of the countries and projects in which JICA has already been involved including helping Sri Lanka recover from the 2004 tsunami by helping to establish a disaster management center; helping to develop a disaster management plan in Indonesia (in addition to sending emergency assistance and rescue officials following natural disasters); working in several areas in Bangladesh and supporting a flood mitigation study in the Philippines.
"It is clear that all of us as individual countries must make greater efforts in areas such as disaster response, preparedness and management by harnessing more resources, mobilizing technologies and make use of past experiences," Oshima said. "International cooperation must be strengthened. And JICA is clearly committed to moving in this direction, working closely with partner countries and multilateral agencies."