HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT

4.

Human Resource Development

ADRC enhances the DRM capacities of member countries through the visiting researchers (VR) program,seminars, workshops, training events, and other DRR related human resource development activities.

4.1

Visiting Researchers Program

As of March 2023, an accumulated total number of 126 officials from 27 countries have participated in the VR
program since it started in 1999. Under this program, VRs are invited to Japan to conduct their respective
DRR researches with the opportunity to participate in relevant events as well as visit organizations. It enables
VRs to compare and learn from different DRM systems.

4.1.1

Activities During the Program

also to further enhance cooperation between member countries and ADRC. In FY2022, seven visiting
researchers (including those from the FY2021 who could not come to Japan due to COVID-19 pandemic)
were invited to participate in the on-site training in Japan. During their stay, the VRs learn about innovativeand practical DRR efforts and technologies and gain knowledge about cooperation and collaboration withnational governments, international organizations, and DRR agencies.
4.1.2

Research Topics

On 29 March 2023, all 7 VRs presented the outcomes of their research activities. Overall, the final reports
reflected the accumulation of DRR knowledge, the characteristics of latest disasters and disastermanagement policies/laws/plans/budget, and the measures to strengthen resilience. The titles of theirrespective researches are as follow:·

Seismic monitoring, seismic hazard, risk
assessment, and earthquake early warning
system implementation as part of seismic
risk reduction (Armenia)·

Preparedness for Disaster Response inJapan (India)·

A study on the issues to be considered in
improving the requirements for evacuation

shelter during disaster (Mongolia)

Figure 4.1 Visiting Researchers during one of their site visits in Japan·

Study on Community Based Disaster Preparedness and Prevention Activities in Japan (Myanmar)·

Tsunami response plan for the coastal areas of Pakistan and livelihood improvement along with otherscalable DRR interventions for the coastal areas (Pakistan)·

Developing a National Disaster Risk Reduction Plan (Thailand)·

Community-based disaster risk management in Japan: A lesson learned (Vietnam)

In conducting their research activities, ADRC assigned a mentor to each VR to guide and assist in the entire
process.

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Section 4

The VR program is aimed not only to strengthen the disaster response capabilities of member countries but

HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT

4.1.3

Networking of Visiting Researchers

ADRC taps the network of former VRs to cooperate in various
ongoing

projects,

particularly for

effectiveandefficient

implementation. Additionally, VRs are tapped to design new
projects that meet the local conditions. Furthermore, former
VRs are contacted whenever ADRC intends to suggest policy
updates or extends support to their respective home countries
based on the request or information they provided. New VRs
areencouraged

tocontact

formerVRs

toestablish

communication, share experiences, and insights. Every year,
some former VRs participate in the ACDR, where they make
Section 4

presentations.
During the ACDR2022, 10–12 March 2023, two former VRs
participated: 1) Mr Baasansuren DEMBERELYNAM from
Mongolia reported on the government’s recent efforts forstrengthening

thedisasterstatistics

tohastentheimplementation of the SFDRR in Mongolia; and 2) Ms
Syuzanna Kakoyan from Armenia also actively participated in
the conference.

Figure 4.2 Accumulated total number of
VRs as of March 2023

Figure 4.3 Former VR from Mongolia (left) and Armenia (right) during the ACDR2022

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HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT

4.2

JICA Knowledge Co-creation Program

Under the Knowledge Co-Creation Program, JICA commissioned ADRC to conduct comprehensive training
courses on DRR, which are designed based on themes of interests in each region/country. In FY2022, a totalof six training courses were implemented: 1) Comprehensive DRR for Central and South America, 2)Comprehensive DRR for African Region, 3) Comprehensive DRR for Central Asia and Caucasus, 4)Promotion of Mainstreaming DRR, 5) Comprehensive DRR Course, and 6) Strengthening DRR Capacity for
Malaysia.
4.2.1

Comprehensive Disaster Risk Reduction for Central and South America
24 May – 8 Jul 2022 (online)

Number of Participants:

18 (from 10 countries)

Contents:

DRR in Japan, 8 Steps in formulating local DRR strategy

This course was attended by 18 participants from 10 countries: Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador,
Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, and Peru. During the seven-week program,the participants attended lectures on disaster countermeasures and exercises around local DRR plans, anddrafted plans for their target municipalities. They actively engaged in developing DRR measures to reduce
humanitarian and economic losses from disasters.

Figure 4.4 Mr ARAKIDA Masaru of ADRC giving lecture on the 8 Steps in Formulating Local DRR Strategy

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Section 4

Duration:

HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT

4.2.2

Comprehensive Disaster Risk Reduction for African Region

Duration:

22 Aug – 29 Sep 2022 (online)

Number of Participants:

7 (from four countries)

Contents:

DRR in Japan, 8 Steps in formulating local DRR plan

The JICA Knowledge Co-Creation Program entitled, "Comprehensive Disaster Risk Reduction for the African
Region" was conducted online from 22 August to 29 September 2022, with the cooperation of JICA Kansai. It
was attended by seven government officials from four countries: Democratic Republic of the Congo, Malawi,
Senegal, and Cabo Verde. This course focused on flood and sediment disasters. Participants studied disastercountermeasures for their target cities by attending lectures on each disaster and participating in exercises toformulate a draft local DRR plan. They all worked so hard during this course, not only acquiring knowledge
Section 4

and skills but also developing their relationships with one another. Some organizations and universities inJapan contributed to the success of this course.

Figure 4.5 Screenshot of Online Training for the African Region

4.2.3

Comprehensive DRR for Central Asia and the Caucasus

Duration:

10 Nov – 9 Dec 2022 (in-person)

Number of Participants:

7 (from four countries)

Contents:

DRR in Japan, 8 Steps in formulating local DRR plan

The training course, “Comprehensive Disaster Management for Central Asia and Caucasus” was conductedfrom 10 November to 9 December 2022. This program was designed for disaster management administratorsin the Central Asia and Caucasus region with the aim of strengthening the capacity of government agencies
primarily responsible for disaster management so as to mitigate human impacts and economic damages
caused by natural disasters. With a particular focus on the formulation of priority DRR measures, the program
aimed to deepen understanding of the importance of such measures, to promote strategic DRR investmentsin each country, and to promote the implementation of DRR measures that reduce residual risks. The

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HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT

program also aimed to help participantslearn how to draft and implement local
DRR plans. Due to the spread of COVID-19 pandemic, the training program was
temporarilysuspended

andsubsequently conducted online, but inperson training resumed in 2022 for the
first time in three years. A total of sevenparticipants from Armenia, Kazakhstan,
Kyrgyz Republic, and Tajikistan took

part in the five-week program. The
training consisted of in-person and online

Figure 4.6 Trainees from Central Asia and Caucasus visited DRR facilities

designing local DRR plans. Each participant enthusiastically participated in the lectures and exercises, andpresented a draft local DRR plan on the final day to successfully complete the course. The knowledge, skills,
and methodologies acquired through this training will be applied to disaster risk management in theparticipants’ home countries.
4.2.4

Promotion of Mainstreaming Disaster Risk Reduction

Duration:

12 – 24 Dec 2022 (in-person)

Number of Participants:

5 (from three countries)

Contents:

DRR in Japan, 8 Steps in formulating local DRR plan

Figure 4.7 Participants from Bangladesh, Indonesia, and Mexico during the training in Japan

ADRC conducted the JICA Knowledge Co-Creation Program entitled, "Promotion of Mainstreaming Disaster
Risk Reduction" from 12–24 December 2022 in cooperation with JICA Kansai. It was attended by five
management-level DRR agency officials from three countries: Bangladesh, Indonesia, and Mexico. This
program was aimed at achieving the following: sharing the concept of mainstreaming DRR, incorporating
DRR in development policies, and promoting the methods of mainstreaming DRR at the policy level. It wasalso aimed at sharing various experiences from Japan and examine the strategies and approaches for

39

Section 4

lectures, visits to DRR facilities, mainly in Hyogo Prefecture but also in the Tokyo area, and a workshop on

HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT

promoting the mainstreaming of DRR in participants' home countries. During the two-week program,participants attended lectures, site visits, and discussions on disaster countermeasures. Participants actively
engaged in DRR measures to reduce humanitarian and economic losses due to disasters.
4.2.5

Comprehensive Disaster Risk Reduction Course

Duration:

28 Dec 2022 – 22 Feb 2023 (in-person)

Number of Participants:

8 (from six countries)

Contents:

DRR in Japan, 8 Steps in formulating local DRR plan

The training entitled, "Comprehensive Disaster
Risk Reduction" was conducted from 28

December 2022 to 22 February 2023 in
Section 4

cooperation

with

JICA

Kansai.

It

wasconducted in a hybrid format, with both online
and in-person programs in Japan. It was
attended by eight government officials from six
countries:

Bangladesh,

Brazil,Indonesia,

Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. This course
was aimed at helping participants learn how toformulate and implement local DRR plans topromote disaster reduction measures in each

Figure 4.8 Trainees visited flood control facilities along Shirakawa River,
Kumamoto

country. Participants studied disaster countermeasures for their target cities by attending lectures, site visits,
and participating in exercises on formulating a draft local DRR plan. They all participated enthusiastically inthe programs, engaging in discussions with other participants and deepening their understanding of thesubject matter.
4.2.6

Strengthening Disaster Risk Reduction Capacity for Malaysia

Duration:

6 – 10 Mar 2023 (in-person)

Number of Participants:

15 (from Malaysia)

Contents:

DRR in Japan, 8 Steps in formulating local DRR plan

ADRC conducted the JICA Knowledge CoCreation Program, "LEP2.0 Enhancement of

the Disaster Risk Management Capacity of the
National Disaster Management Agency", on 6–
10 March 2023. The course was aimed at
improving the technology and coordination
capacity of the Malaysian National Disaster
Management Agency (NADMA) to realize adisaster-resilient society in the country. A totalof 15 officials from related organizations,mainly from NADMA, participated in this first

Figure 4.9 Participants from Malaysia during lectures at JICA Kansai

training. After the orientation on the first day of the training, participants made presentations for their40

HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT

organization, and it was followed by discussions to confirm the training objectives and points at each site.
From the second day onwards, the participants visited several sites that showcase flood and sedimentdisaster countermeasures. On the final day of the training, synthesis of lessons learned were presented, as
well as the next steps.

4.3

Short-Term Programs

Short-term programs in FY2022 included internship, KOBE Global Challenge with Kobe University, and TryYaru.
4.3.1·

Internship at ADRC

Mr Kier Hamilton, 1 July – 31 Aug 2022

ADRC accepted Mr Kier Hamilton for online internship at the Research
Section 4

Department from 1st July to 31st August 2022. He spent 100 hours
performing substantive analysis of disaster data from EM-DAT and otherrelated sources for the Natural Disaster Databook, an annual publication of
ADRC. Mr Hamilton is a Masters student in Disaster Risk Management andClimate Change Adaptation at Lund University, Sweden. His analysis of thenatural disaster data showed that hazards have increased in frequency andseverity, and Asia is the worst affected continent. The most common
disaster events were floods and storms, with both becoming more common
as climatic changes take place. He said that working with the ADRC team isa memorable experience that allowed him to expand his knowledge andFigure 4.10 Mr Keir Hamilton(Intern)

improve his understanding of the disaster landscape.
·

Mr Jhumar Sioson, 21 October – 2 November 2022

Mr Jhumar Sioson, a master's degree student in the field of Environmental
Studies at Nagoya University, served as an intern at ADRC as part of the
Global Research Internship (GRI) of Nagoya University. GRI provides
research-based internship opportunities to students to help them acquire
practical research know-how through on-site research training. During his
in-person internship, Mr Sioson assisted in organizing the workshop, 7th
BOSAI KOKUTAI, engaged in DRR Town-Watching in Nada, Kobe, andvisited the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake Disaster monuments in Hyogo
Prefecture. He said that his time as an ADRC intern gave him an
opportunity to increase his knowledge about disaster risk reduction, andFigure 4.11 Mr Jhumar Sioson(Intern)when returning to the Philippines, he will strive to professionally contribute to disaster resiliency.
4.3.2

KOBE Global Challenge

In partnership with Kobe University's KOBE Global Challenge Program (KGCP), ADRC conducted a training
program for 13 KGCP students on Tuesday, 26 July 2022. The KGCP is a program that aims to motivate
participating students to learn and recognize the necessity of issue-identification and problem-solving skills,
which are essential for people working in global arenas, by building on their own experiences in multiculturalenvironments. By attending lectures and participating in practical exercises on disaster management in Asia,

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HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT

the students and ADRC researchers had many opportunities to actively exchange ideas and opinions. Mr
SASAHARA Akio, Executive Director of ADRC encouraged them to take advantage of this program tobecome global leaders in their fields.

Section 4

Figure 4.12 Kobe University students at ADRC during the KOBE Global Challenge Program

4.3.3

Try-Yaru

ADRC accepted two seventh-grade students from Kobe Municipal Harada Junior High School as a part of the"Try-Yaru Week" in November 2022, which is a work experience program for junior high school students.
During this period, the students learned about the concept of disaster risk reduction through simple activities(e.g., constructing model of earthquake-resistant building out of milk cartons). The students also took part inan online “Town Watching” of the Aotani district of Nada Ward, Kobe City. “Town-Watching” is a planningapproach, where community members and stakeholder look around their local areas to observe and gather
information to address disaster risks. They also visited the Hyogo Prefectural Wide-Area Disaster Prevention
Center.

Figure 4.13 Seventh-grade students at their Try-Yaru program at ADRC

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