ADRC Annual Report No.5 (2002)

1. Asian Disaster Reduction Center

1. Asian Disaster Reduction Center
1-1. Background for the Establishment of the ADRC
The Asian Disaster Reduction Center (ADRC) opened offices in Kobe, Japan, on July 30, 1998.
The major steps leading up to ADRC's creation are outlined as follows:１）International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction (IDNDR)At its 42nd General Assembly in December 1987, the United Nations designated the 90’s as
the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction, and adopted a resolution aiming tosharply reduce damage caused by natural disasters around the world, particularly in developing
countries, through joint international actions.
２）World Conference on Natural Disaster Reduction
In May 1994, the UN hosted the World Conference on Natural Disaster Reduction in
Yokohama, Japan, to conduct an interim review of the 10-year initiative and propose a plan ofaction for the future. At the meeting, the “Yokohama Strategy for a Safer World”, which
pointed out the importance of international cooperation in regions that share common types ofdisasters and disaster reduction measures, was adopted. Disaster Reduction activities havesince been promoted throughout the world based on this strategy.
３）Ministerial-level Asian Natural Disaster Reduction Conference
As the first step in regional level cooperation as per the Yokohama Strategy, the IDNDRSecretariat co-organized a meeting in Kobe in December, 1995 to formulate a policy on disaster
reduction cooperation in Asia. Cabinet members involved in disaster reduction from 28
countries attended the meeting, who adopted the “Kobe Disaster Reduction Declaration” that
contained ideas for promoting international cooperation in disasters including a proposal by
Japan to launch studies into a possible creation of a system that could act as the disaster
reduction coordinator in the Asian region.
４）Asian Natural Disaster Reduction Experts Meeting
The Government of Japan and the IDNDR Secretariat co-organized a meeting of experts in
October 1996 to hash out how a central disaster reduction system, as written in the Kobe
Disaster Reduction Declaration, might be created for the Asian region. Key personnel fromdisaster reduction bureaus of 30 countries attended. Parties agreed to study the creation of an“Asian Disaster Reduction Center” (tentative name) that would serve as secretariat for
promoting activities of the conceptualized system.
５）Asian Disaster Reduction Cooperation Promotion Meeting
The Government of Japan and the IDNDR Secretariat co-organized a meeting in Tokyo in
June 1997 to discuss specific activities of the conceptualized central disaster reduction system.
Once again attended by key personnel from disaster reduction bureaus of 23 countries, theoverall goal was to promote cooperation in disaster reduction efforts through concrete action. It
was proposed at the meeting to create an office in Japan as the secretariat for the conceptualized
system.
６）ADRC's Official Start
With momentum gathering on this series of meetings, the Japanese government discussed
organization, budget and other aspects of the proposed office with other countries involved.
Then, with the cooperation of Hyogo Prefecture, the Asian Disaster Reduction Center was
officially established in Kobe on July 30, 1998.

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1. Asian Disaster Reduction Center

1-2. Organization
At the onset, ADRC consisted of 22 member countries, 4 advisor countries and 1 observerorganization. Later Armenia joined in August 2000 and Kyrgyz Republic in July 2002 bringing
the number of member countries to 24. (For details, refer to Tables 2-1-1, 2-1-2, and 2-1-3).

1-3. Policy and Past Activities
1-3-1. Policy
ADRC operates as a center for sharing disaster reduction information in the Asian region.
With this as the fundamental purpose, the following five activities were adopted at the pastinternational meetings.
□
Collection and dissemination of disaster reduction information□
Research into ways to promote cooperation in disaster reduction efforts□ Collection of information on emergency aid that differing countries can make available
in a disaster situation□
Development of publications and programs to increase awareness and knowledge ofdisaster reduction□
Planning of educational and practical programs in disaster reduction
ADRC has pursued the following basic goals since its inception.
(1) Information Sharing① ADRC provides the following information through its website.
□
Disaster information□
Disaster reduction initiatives□
Insights gained from disasters, education in disaster reduction and emergency drills□
Disaster reduction technology② ADRC holds regular meetings for personnel in charge of disaster reduction in member
countries and works to build trust amongst members as a means for promotinginternational cooperation in disaster reduction efforts.
③ ADRC welcomes a limited number of researchers from member countries every year.
(2) Capacity Building in Member Countries
In order for member countries to build disaster reduction capacity, ADRC imparts
awareness, education and training programs with member countries and internationalorganizations.
(3) Cooperative Projects
ADRC takes part in joint projects with member countries targeted at building disaster
reduction capacity.

1-3-2. Past Activities
It is of utmost importance to establish cooperative relationships with concerned nations andorganizations. The purpose of this is to gather extensive and accurate data on disaster reduction
and to disseminate it in the Asian region.
With this in mind, the center has actively attended relevant international conferences, visited
various countries to conduct surveys, and welcomed organizations and individuals for tours andstudy programs. Since 1999, the center has held an ADRC international meeting every year for
member countries, advisor countries and international organizations such as the UN. With
cooperation of the Japanese Government and the United Nations Secretariat of the International
Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR), the Asian Conference on Disaster Reduction 2003 washeld in Kobe in January 2003 (described later).
ADRC has also been enhancing its information services that were launched in the year of
ADRC's inception to provide information on disasters around the world. It continues to build a２

ADRC Annual Report No.5 (2002)

1. Asian Disaster Reduction Center

database of disaster reduction systems and other relevant information (described later) provided
by member countries through past international meetings and makes the information available.
Through these activities, ADRC has gained recognition in international circles. In fact,
ADRC was named one of the ten success stories at the IDNDR Programme Forum held as theconclusion to the 10-year international disaster reduction effort in Geneva, Switzerland, in July
1999.
Furthermore, in February 2000, ADRC launched a joint international project in cooperation
with the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), aimed at reinforcing
disaster management in the Asian region by building a cooperative framework for disaster
response. As part of this initiative, OCHA opened the Asian Disaster Response Unit within theoffices of ADRC and assigned an advisor on disaster management to head up that office. The
two organizations are sharing information and working closely together to promote activities.
In this fiscal year ADRC promoted human resource development projects to improve
capacity to respond to disasters in the Asian region by jointly sponsoring with OCHA the Asian
Meeting for “Total Disaster Risk Management (TDRM)” (held in Kobe, August, 2002) and the“UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) Asia Induction Course” (March, 2003).
In August 2001 OCHA's Relief Web was brought to Japan with their operations for providing
humanitarian and disaster relief information to the world over the Internet. Their activities topromote information sharing in the Asian-Pacific region have contributed to strengthening
disaster management, emergency aid and humanitarian support.
At the Canberra Conference of the Global Disaster Information Network (GDIN) held inMarch 2001, ADRC made a proposal to introduce a standardized ID number for disasters
worldwide (GLIDE), which is now being jointly developed and promoted with Relief Web andthe Center for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters of Louvain Catholic University(CRED) in Brussels, Belgium, as a means to effectively utilize disaster information archived
around the world. ADRC continues to contribute to sharing disaster reduction information on a
global basis.
Since 2002 when ADRC was appointed as an Inter-Agency Task Force member of the United
Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR), it has been actively supporting
ISDR activities. ADRC attended the preparation meetings for the “World Summit on
Sustainable Development” held in Cambodia (November, 2001) and Indonesia (May, 2002)
and contributed to the effort to include an item concerning “disaster reduction” in the politicaldeclaration of the Johannesburg Summit.
At the “3rd World Water Forum (March, 2003)” ADRC jointly convened a session with the
ISDR Secretariat under the theme “Living with Risk - towards effective disaster reduction,”
which illustrates close coordination with the ISDR Secretariat in contributions toward theimplementation of the international disaster reduction strategy.
In addition to all of the above ADRC has accepted 15 guest researchers from member
countries to provide knowledge and training on disaster reduction and cooperation with a viewto enhance disaster reduction capacity of the Asian region.

Table 1-3-2-1＜Major Activities＞

Jul. 30, 1998

Opening ceremony at IHD Center Bldg. Attended by approx. 150 individuals.

Sep. 1, 1998
Oct. 1998
Nov. 7, 1998
Nov. 9-13, 1998
Dec. 1, 1998

Launched worldwide disaster Information. <Issued 156 bulletins as of March 25,
2001. >
Visited member countries. (Korea, Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Bangladesh,
Vietnam, Thailand, Russia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and China)
Visit by Bangladeshi Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Abdus Samad Azad.
Participated in WHO international workshop for intensified emergency response, in
the Western Pacific Region (Manila, Philippines). <Announced start of ADRC. >Launched database of disaster reduction human resources. <Approx. 1,400
individuals from 51 countries are registered. >３

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Feb. 15, 1999
Feb. 16-18, 1999
Feb. 23-26, 1999
Mar. 18, 1999
May-Jul. 1999

Jul. 5-9, 1999

Jul. 12-16, 1999
Jul. 23, 1999
Sep. 23, 1999
Sep. 29-Oct. 4,
1999
Nov. 5, 1999
Dec. 6-8, 1999

1. Asian Disaster Reduction Center

ADRC International Symposium at Hyogo Prefectural Hall. <Attended by approx.
250 individuals, from 21 countries. >Held ADRC International Meeting at IHD Center Bldg, Kobe, Japan. <Attended byapprox. 30 individuals from 21 countries and 1 organization. >Attended ESCAP-IDNDR Regional Meeting for Asia (Bangkok, Thailand).
<Introduced activities of ADRC. >Visit by Director of IDNDR Secretariat, Mr. Philippe L. Boullé.
Databases of Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, disaster reduction training, disasterreduction systems and comprehensive information on disaster reduction by countries
available on the Internet.
Participated in IDNDR Programme Forum (Geneva, Switzerland). <Introduction of
ADRC’s establishment and activities as an example of a Success Story, andcoordinated a session on “Information Technology for Assessment and Simulation
Capacities.”>
Visited Governments of Switzerland and France, UN OCHA, Center for Research on
the Epidemiology of Disasters, Louvain Catholic University, Brussels, etc.
Launched program for accepting researchers from member countries. <From Korea,
Vietnam, Nepal and Indonesia. >Launched joint project with government of Papua New Guinea <To raise awarenessof damage from tsunamis>
Participation in relief team sent to Taiwan
Signed Memorandum of Understanding in disaster information collection with theCenter for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters, Louvain Catholic University.
2nd ADRC International Meeting at IHD Center Bldg Kobe, Japan. <Attended byapprox. 36 individuals from 24 countries. >Jan. 13, 2000

Participated in the World Bank meeting (Paris, France).

Feb. 7, 2000

Opening ceremony for Asian Disaster Response Unit of OCHA.

Apr. 26-29, 2000

Participated in 3rd International GDIN Conference (Ankara). <Introduction of ADRC
activities, VENTEN system. >May. 3-4, 2000

Visited Republic of Armenia NSSP. <Received intentions to join ADRC. >Aug. 31-Sep. 4,
2000

Participated in Disaster Prevention Fair 2000 in Kobe

Oct. 24-27, 2000
Dec. 5-7, 2000
Dec. 8, 2000
Jan. 2001

Participated in SAGIP 2000 (Manila, Philippines). <Reported on sharing disaster
reduction information amongst ADRC member countries. >3rd ADRC International Meeting at IHD Center Bldg Kobe, Japan. <Attended byapprox. 40 individuals from 26 countries and 6 organizations. >Jointly organized Asian Regional Forum on Disaster Reduction in Tokyo with
Cabinet Office, Japan.
Participated in Disaster Prevention Technology Exhibition in Kobe.

Organized World Disaster Reduction Conference 2001 at Awaji Yume Butai
International Hall with Cabinet Office, Japan.
Participated in GDIN 2001 (Canberra, Australia). <Reported on VENTEN andMar. 20-23, 2001
proposed Unique ID Project which was approved. >Participated in Japanese government mission to survey earthquake damage. <In
Apr. 14-27, 2001
Gujarat, India>
Co-organized multinational mission (ADRC member countries) with IndianJun. 4-8, 2001
government to assess earthquake damage in Gujarat, India.
Participated in international conference on disaster reduction sponsored by WHO
Jun. 18-23, 2001 Western Pacific Regional Office. <Launched joint project with WHO Health Mapper
and ADRC VENTEN. >Feb. 5-6, 2001

Jun. 28-29, 2001

Participated in APDIN Working Group Meeting (Bangkok, Thailand).

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1. Asian Disaster Reduction Center

Jun. 28, 2001

Signed Memorandum of Understanding with ADPC（Bangkok, Thailand）.

Jul. 4-6, 2001

Co-organized Consultative Meeting on Regional Cooperation in Natural Disasters
with OCHA in Katmandu, Nepal.

Aug. 16, 2001

Opening of OCHA ReliefWeb office.

Aug. 16, 2001

Visit by UN Under Secretary-General, Mr. Kenzo Oshima.

Aug. 28, 2001

Visit by Philippine Chairman of the National Disaster Coordinating Council andSecretary of National Defense, Mr. Angelo T.Reyes.

Aug. 27, 2001

International Symposium on GIS in Kobe, Japan.

Oct. 4-5, 2001
Oct. 6-20, 2001
Nov. 6, 2001

Participated in meeting for the development of ISDR global review of disaster
reduction initiatives (Geneva, Switzerland).
Co-hosted urban search and rescue training in cooperation with Singapore Civil
Defence Force
Participated in the 1st International Seminar on Disaster Prevention (Seoul, Korea).
<Keynote address delivered by Deputy Executive Director, Satoru Nishikawa. >Nov. 13-15, 2001 Attended JUSTSAP (Hawaii, USA).
Participated in the World Summit on Sustainable Development (Cambodia).
<Statement included disaster reduction as key element of sustainable development. >Participated in the ESCAP/WMO Typhoon Committee meeting (Hawaii, USA).
Nov. 29-30, 2001 <Proposed use of the ADRC website to provide typhoon information. Motion was
adopted. >Co-hosted training on disaster reduction for Educational Officials in cooperation with
Dec. 1-17, 2001
Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, UNESCO and UNU.
Visit by Indian Vice Chairman of the National Committee on Disaster Management,
Jan. 9, 2002
Mr. Sharad Pawar
Nov. 27-29, 2001

Jan. 17, 2002
Jan. 22-23, 2002
Jan. 24, 2002
Jan. 21-Feb. 22,
2002
Feb. 5-7, 2002

Visit by Japanese Minister for Disaster Management, Mr. Jin Murai.
Organized 4th ADRC International Meeting (Delhi, India). Attended by 80
individuals from 22 countries and 10 organizations.
Co-organized ISDR Asian Meeting (Delhi, India). Attended by 80 individuals from22 countries and 10 organizations.
JICA seminar on Disaster Management. <Implemented approx. 1 month of training
to 14 individuals from 12 countries. >Attended OCHA Symposium (Geneva, Switzerland). <Reported on ADRC activities
and Unique ID GLIDE Project. >Feb. 14-15, 2002

Exhibited at 6th Earthquake Technology Expo in Kobe, Japan.

Feb. 20-22, 2002

Co-organized Regional Workshop on Networking and Collaboration among NGOs of
Asian Countries in Disaster Reduction and Response with OCHA Kobe, Japan.
<Attended by approx. 80 individuals from NGOs in 16 countries, UN organizations,Japanese Cabinet office and Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Hyogo Prefecture. >Feb. 21, 2002

Visit by ISDR Director, Mr. Salvano Briceno.

Feb. 24-28, 2002

Participated in Japanese government mission to WTC in New York, USA.

Feb. 27-Mar. 1,
2002

Participated in International Expo in Kazakhstan. <Introduction of ADRC activities
and internet disaster reduction gallery>.
Attended Tropical Cyclone Panel meeting co-organized by WMO and ESCAP.
Mar. 12-13, 2002
(Myanmar)
Tested use of satellites in disaster reduction in cooperation with NASDA and Cabinet
Mar. 15, 2002
Office of Japan
Participated in the Task Force meeting of International Strategy for Disaster
Apr. 25-26, 2002
Reduction (ISDR) as a Task Force member of ISDR.

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1. Asian Disaster Reduction Center

Participated as a resource in “International Emergency Response Workshop”
May. 20-23, 2002 organized by Kyrgyz Republic.
<Reported cases of emergency responses in Asia>
Participated as a resource in “Disaster and Sustainable Development” (coordinatedMay. 27-Jun. 8,
by ISDR) of the final Prep-Com for the World Summit on Sustainable Development
2002(Bali, Indonesia).
Co-organized with ADPC (Bangkok, Thailand) the “Second Consultative Meeting on
Jun. 12-14, 2002
Total Disaster Risk Management in Asia” (Bangkok, Thailand).
Participated as a resource in GDIN ROMA 2002 (Rome, Italy).
June. 19-21, 2002
<Introduced the GLIDE system. >Participated as a Task Force member of the ISDR Working Group 2 in ISDR Early
Jun. 24-25, 2002
Warning Workshop (Potsdam, Germany).
Organized jointly with OCHA Kobe the “Regional Workshop on Total Disaster Risk
Aug. 7-9, 2002
Management (TDRM)” (Kobe, Japan)
Launched jointly with the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR)
Aug. 9, 2002
“Living With Risk- a global review of disaster reduction initiatives”.
Aug. 29-Sep. 2,
Participated in Disaster Prevention Fair 2002 (organized by the Cabinet Office of
2002Japan and Fukuoka City in Fukuoka, Japan)
Aug. 2002
Sep. 25-27, 2002

Sep. 15-17, 2002
Sep. 13-14, 2002

Oct. 28, 2002

Oct. 29, 2002

Nov. 7, 2002

Nov. 15-15, 2002

Nov. 11-15, 2002

Nov. 11-13, 2002
Nov. 11-22, 2002
Nov. 18-25, 2002

Nov. 21-23, 2002

Published the 20th Century Data Book Asian Natural Disasters.
Participated as a resource in the “Expert Group Meeting on the Role of Regional
Organizations and Networks in Strengthening Capacities for Disaster Reduction”(organized by UNDP in Geneva).
Participated in the ASEAN Experts Group Meeting on Disaster Management(organized by ASEAN and Viet Nam) as a regional observer.
<Introduced an approach to TDRM>
Attended the “Second Humanitarian Relief Conference in Singapore” (held by theSingapore International Foundation in Singapore) to deliver a keynote speech.
Participated as a resource in the “International Symposium on New Technologies for
Urban Safety in Asian Mega Cities” (organized by the Asian Institute of Technology
and supported by the Government of Thailand and the Cabinet Office of theGovernment of Japan)
Participated as a resource in the “Symposium on the Indian National Day for Disaster
Reduction” and as an observer in the “meeting of the Asian Disaster Preparedness
Center (ADPC) on Disaster Management” (Delhi, India)
Participated as a resource in the “Second International Disaster Mitigation
Cooperation Seminar” (organized by the National Institute for Disaster Prevention(NIDP) of the Ministry of Government Administration and Home Affairs(MOGAHA) of the Republic of Korea)
Participated as a resource in the “ESCAP/OOSA Workshop on the Use of SpaceTechnology for Disaster Management”<Introduced the satellite application experiment for disaster management
collaborated between ADRC and NASDA>
Participated as a resource in the “JUSTSAP (Japan-US Science, Technology andSpace Applications Program) Workshop”<Received a request to collaborate on a project of satellite based disaster information
sharing in relation to a large oil spill >Participated as a resource in the “Asia-Pacific Regional Meeting of the International
Search and Rescue Advisory Group (INSARAG)” held in Shanghai.
Imparted urban relief training to operatives from member countries in cooperation
with the Singapore Civil Defence Force.
Attended the “ESCAP/WMO Typhoon Committee Meeting (Chiang Mai, Thailand)”<Proposed an Internet link collection of committee member nations and regions fordisaster reduction>“The International Seminar on Disaster Preparedness and Mitigation 2002” co-hosted
by the Government of India and the United Nations Development Programme(UNDP) India. <Provided a presentation on the “Risk, Vulnerability, and Hazard
Analysis and Information Systems”>

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1. Asian Disaster Reduction Center

Presented a keynote speech at the “Asia & Pacific Conference of Red Cross and Red
Crescent Societies (IFRC)” held in Manila.
Participated as a resource in the “Asian Seismological Commission 2002
Nov. 24-26, 2002 (Kathmandu, Nepal)” <Delivered a presentation on “Seismic Risk Analysis on the
Portfolio of Building in JAPAN”>
Presented a keynote speech at the “ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) Humanitarian
Dec. 4-6, 2002
Assistance and Disaster Relief Seminar.”
Organized jointly with the Government of Bangladesh the “Seminar on Improvement
Dec. 19-24, 2002of Early Warning Systems and Responses.”
Co-sponsored “Asian Conference on Disaster Reduction 2003” (Kobe, Japan) with
Jan. 15-17, 2003 the Japanese Government, the ISDR Secretariat, and Hyogo Prefecture. Attended by
250 individuals from 24 countries and 26 organizations.
Jan. 19-Mar. 1,
Organized “JICA seminar for Disaster Management” (Kobe, Japan).
2003
Jan. 30-31 and
Exhibited at the 7th Earthquake Technology Expo in Kobe and Yokohama, Japan.
Feb. 6-7, 2003
<e.g.Joint experiment with NASDA>
Co-organized the “Workshop on Disaster Management for Media” with the
Feb. 4-7, 2003
Government of Lao PDR (Vientiane Province, Lao PDR).
Attended the “WMO/ESCAP Tropical Cyclone Panel Meeting (Islamabad,Mar. 4-10, 2003
Pakistan)”
Attended the “3rd World Water Forum” and made presentations at three sessions.
Jointly held a session with ISDR under the theme of “Living with Risk - towards
Mar. 16-23, 2003
effective disaster reduction" within the theme "Water and Poverty” coordinated by
ADB
Co-organized “United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC).
Mar. 16-28, 2003
Asia Induction Course” with UN OCHA (Kobe, Japan)
Nov. 24-28, 2002

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