ADRC Highlights
Asian Disaster Reduction Center Monthly News
● Announcement
Vol. 342
September2021
TOPICSAnnouncement¶ Fourth ADRC Online
DRR Seminar: "GLOF
Impact to the Local
Economy and Measures"¶ Fifth ADRC Online
DRR Seminar: "Promoting
Disaster Mitigation
Strategies for Urban
Resilience"
Promoting Cooperation
with AffiliatedInstitutions
Third Seminar Highlights
Developing DRR
Technologies that Meet
Local Needs
Participation inInternational
Conferences¶ 18th Session of
WMO’s Regional
Association V (SouthwestPacific) Held 1-3
September 2021
¶ 5th Global Summit ofGADRI: Engaging
Sciences in Action

Asian DisasterReduction Center
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Wakinohamakaigan-dori,Chuo-ku, Kobe
651-0073 Japan
Tel: 078-262-5540
Fax: 078-262-5546
editor@adrc.asia
https://www.adrc.asia© ADRC 2021

Fourth ADRC Online DRR Seminar: "GLOF Impact to the Local Economyand Measures"

Following the third ADRC
Online DRR Seminar heldon 14 September 2021, thefourth Seminar entitled"GLOF Impact to the Local
Economy and Measures"will be held on Tuesday, 28
September 2021, 16:0017:30 (JST, UTC+9) (Japantime, UTM+9). This fourthseminar will focus on theissue of glacial lake outburst floods (GLOF) in the Hindu Kush Himalayan region
due to climate change.
Experts from the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development(ICIMOD) will present information on GLOF, their impacts on the region, andrisk reduction measures.
For details on the fourth seminar, please visit:https://acdr.adrc.asia/home/2021Seminar
To participate, please register through Zoom (http://bit.ly/adrcseminar4).
We look forward to seeing you at the event!
Fifth ADRC Online DRR Seminar: "Promoting Disaster Mitigation
Strategies for Urban Resilience"

Five experts from theUN-Habitat Regional Officefor Asia and the Pacific(ROAP), along withgovernment officials fromthe DHSUD Philippines andDDPM Thailand, will discuss
new tools and approaches inpromoting mitigation
strategies for urban resilienceon 18 October 2021.
Specifically, they will cover(1) the current state ofpromoting mitigation
strategies in urban areas, including achievements, challenges, and possible
solutions; (2) recent strategies of mainstreaming DRR in urban development; and(3) new approaches of working together to achieve urban resilience.
To participate, please register at the DRR Seminar website:
https://www.adrc.asia/acdr/drr2021seminar.php
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ADRC Highlights

Vol. 342● Promoting Cooperation with Affiliated Institutions
Third Seminar Highlights Developing DRR Technologies that Meet Local Needs

On 14 September 2021, ADRC organized the third in its series of online DRR seminars entitled"Developing DRR Technologies that Meet Local Needs to Build a Safe, Secure, and Lively Society." Theonline seminar, attended by 116 people from all over the world, highlighted case studies of DRR
investments made before disasters and other activities conducted in line with international standards.
At the outset, event moderator Dr. ONO Takahiro (Director, Mitsubishi Corporation Insurance) said thatstandardization is important to keep methods simple, avoid useless operations, and facilitate smoothcommunication. He invited experts/practitioners to share their knowledge of and experiences with theutilization of standardization for DRR. He also presented related case studies.
The first speaker, Mr. Sanjaya Bhatia (Head of Office, UNDRR-GETI) discussed how UNDRR-GETI isengaged in developing and utilizing ISO standards for the sustainable development of communities to makecities resilient (MCR). He specifically highlighted the following ISO standards: Indicators for City Servicesand Quality of Life (ISO 37120); Indicators for Smart Cities (ISO 37122); and Indicators for Resilient Cities(ISO 37123). These standards were developed to address the inconsistencies in city data across the world.
Next, Dr. David N. Nguyen (Associate Professor, Tohoku University and Researcher at NIED) reported
on the progress of the work of the ISO Technical Committee. He said that their committee has identified andplanned for smart community infrastructures that enhance DRR. He highlighted infrastructure elementsfrom Australia, Chile, Colombia, Germany, Greece, Japan, and Turkey.

Speakers of the Third ADRC Online DRR Seminar

Next, Mr. HIRUMA Yoshiki (Vice President, Sustainability Management at the Development BankJapan, DBJ) discussed the application of financial expertise to design a resilient future. He emphasized thevalue of pre-disaster mitigation in business continuity management (BCM), particularly among small andmedium enterprises (SMEs). In promoting pre-disaster mitigation, DBJ developed a BCM rating thatdetermines the bank's support to SMEs. The score points cover two main sectors: (1) disaster prevention
measures to ensure human safety; and (2) policies, goals, strategies, and the effectiveness of enhancing
business continuity management.
Next, Mr. K.A.D. Pradeep Kumara Kodippili (Deputy Director, Disaster Management Centre in SriLanka) gave a presentation on the disaster early warning systems in Sri Lanka. He noted that his officemanages the early warning dissemination unit at the Disaster Management Centre (DMC) and described its
current equipment and capabilities. Among these are the 77 early warning towers, High Frequency (HF) andVery High Frequency (VHF) communication, intra-government network (IGN), and disaster early warning
network (DEWN) that sends text messages. Also, he cited one example of early warning cooperation with2

ADRC Highlights

Vol. 342

Continued

the CBDRM using a simple rain gauge to alert neighbors of landslides.
Finally, Dr. Udrekh (Director, Mapping and Evaluation of Disaster Risk, BNPB Indonesia) discussed
various types of landslide early warning systems (LEWS) in Indonesia, and the efforts of the government tostandardize landslide equipment (RSNI2) in order to issue useful warnings and direct people to act andrespond when warnings are issued. In the process of developing the standards, the government team looked
into the following key issues: maintenance of equipment, operational cost, community involvement,
replacement of components, and basic repairs.
Finally, ADRC's Director Mr. Nakagawa, concluded the seminar, mentioning that the promotion ofinternational standards in DRR will lead to the introduction of more effective DRR technologies, and also
the new form of risk financing could contribute to further promoting investment in DRR.
For more information on this seminar series, please visit the following website:
https://acdr.adrc.asia/home/2021Seminar● Participation in International Conferences
18th Session of WMO's Regional Association V (Southwest Pacific) Held 1-3 September 2021

As an observer to the constituent bodies of the World
Meteorological Organization (WMO), ADRC participatedin the 18th Session of Regional Association V (SouthwestPacific), held on 1-3 September 2021. The key
discussions at the session pertained to the workingstructure, strategic priorities, and flagship initiatives ofRegional Association V in the context of the WMO'sComprehensive Regional Reform.
ADRC has been engaging in the activities of theregional association to further explore collaboration on
new initiatives as well as to promote partnerships that
could lead to closer regional cooperation.

Day 1 of the 18th Session

5th Global Summit of GADRI: Engaging Sciences in Action

On 1 September 2021, ADRC participated in the 5thGlobal Summit of GADRI: Engaging Sciences in Action,
which was organized by the Global Alliance of Disaster
Research Institutes (GADRI) managed by Kyoto
University. This conference was held in an online format,and research institutions and universities from around theworld gave updates on their latest studies and ongoingprojects.
ADRC participated in the Group 2 Panel Discussion
Session and gave a presentation on the utilization of spacetechnology for DRR and good practices involving
Group 2 Panel Discussion Session
Sentinel Asia. In this presentation, ADRC suggested
strengthening the networks between disaster management organizations and space agencies, and expanding
the networks of research institutions to support Sentinel Asia.

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