30 innovations linking Disaster Risk Reduction
with Sustainable Development Goals

About this publication :This publication is developed by a group of individuals from the International
Institute of Disaster Science (IRIDeS) at Tohoku University, Keio University, theUniversity of Tokyo, the United Nations University Institute for the Advanced Studyof Sustainability (UNU-IAS), and Church World Service (CWS) Japan in collaboration
with the Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU) Multi-Hazards Program. The
case studies of the 30 innovations were selected in a series of discussions with thegroup. The innovations are not limited to the 30 cases included in this publication.

This publication is not the official voice of any organizations and countries. The
analysis presented in this publication is of the author of each innovation.

Team members :Takako Izumi (IRIDeS, Tohoku University)
Rajib Shaw (Keio University)
Mikio Ishiwatari (The University of Tokyo)
Riyanti Djalante (UNU-IAS)
Takeshi Komino (CWS Japan)
Vibhas Sukhwani (Keio University)
Bismark Adu Gyamfi (Keio University)

How to refer this publication :Please refer to this publication as follows:
Izumi, T.; Shaw, R.; Ishiwatari, M.; Djalante, R.; Komino, T., Sukhwani, V., Adu
Gyamfi, B. (2020): 30 innovations for disaster risk reduction by IRIDeS, Keio
University, the University of Tokyo, UNU-IAS, CWS Japan, Japan, 97 pages.
March 2020

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-Share
Alike 4.0 International License.

Foreword
As we enter the new decade, it is becoming abundantly clear that greater commitment and accelerated
action is urgently needed to help meet their commitments to combat climate change and reduce
disaster risk. A transformation of this magnitude calls for new ways of thinking and operating,underscoring the need to promote innovation as a critical factor in the achievement of the 2030
Agenda, including the Sendai Framework and the Sustainable Development Goals.
Innovations might include technology-based solutions that help resource-constrained countries
implement change at scale or community-based innovations that address local needs, or maybe
applications of traditional and indigenous knowledge to solve modern problems. This wide diversity ininnovation was well-captured in the “30 Innovations for Disaster Risk Reduction” publication which was
released in May 2019 at the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction.
Not surprisingly, countries and communities seeking to fast-track resilience-building have made astrong call for more examples and case studies of how innovation is helping to achieve tangible resultsin disaster risk reduction (DRR). Accordingly, I am pleased that this second volume of “30 Innovations”
provides even more examples of innovative solutions and good practices that inspire us to think “outside
the box” and test new ideas that will propel progress in reducing disaster and climate risk.
The second volume of “30 Innovations” is unique in that it links disaster risk reduction with the
Sustainable Development Goals and highlights sector-based DRR innovations. These innovations
emphasize the multi-sectoral dimensions of DRR and remind us that only a transversal, collaborative
approach will allow us to achieve our common objective of mitigating risks. Just one example
included in “30 Innovations” is the growing cooperation between DRR, climate change adaption andenvironmental protection agencies, as demonstrated by the results of the 200-respondent survey
included in the publication.
“30 Innovations” is a welcome addition to the set of tools that countries and communities needto address the challenges of increasing climate and disaster risks. The future of DRR needs to beinnovative, sustainable, and people-centred if we are to succeed in tackling these global challenges andbuilding resilience for all. “30 Innovations” is an important step helping to lead us in this direction.

Ms. Loretta Hieber Girardet
Chief, United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction,
Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific01Preface
In recent years, the scale, pattern, and seasonal distribution of disasters have rapidly started to change
due to such factor as climate change, environmental degradation, urbanization, high seismic and volcanic
activities. To address these problems, the role of universities is critical as they are the public and private
centers for research, innovation, science and technology. There are many ways that universities cancontribute to the development of solutions.
In 2019, Japan was hit by extreme floods caused by a typhoon that did not only hit the seacoast, but
the inland areas as well. This event demonstrated the crucial importance of a multi-hazards approach, ofstrengthening the capacity of disaster response and risk reduction. In addition, it necessitated updating ourdisaster risk reduction (DRR) countermeasures and applying both new and traditional ways to tackle these
unexpected challenges.
The Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU), which consists of 51 leading research universities of the
Pacific Rim, established the Multi-Hazards Program jointly with Tohoku University in 2013. The International
Research Institute of Disaster Science (IRIDeS), Tohoku University hosts the Program Hub to strengthen thecollaborative research on disaster science and contribute to a policy making process based on data analysis.
Tohoku University has been appointed as one of national designated universities in 2017 and has taken
a lead in the organization of the 2017 and 2019 World Bosai Forums and of international collaborative
research in disaster science.
The first publication of the “30 innovations” series showcased the most effective innovations. It highlighted
that “innovations” not only include high-tech products but also approaches to create real and truly effective
DRR innovations. When the first publication was launched at the Global Platform for DRR in Geneva in
June 2019, the comments received from the audience were mostly on the need for identifying sector-based
innovations. Therefore, the lists of the innovations are selected from 10 different sectors namely emergency
response, health, gender, water, children, education, agriculture, early warning, disability, and livelihood.
These innovations were developed by different stakeholders at local, national, and international levels.
Without collaboration with different stakeholders at this scale, real productive and effective innovations
cannot be created. The ideas mostly come from local needs and capacities. As included in this publication,
various innovative DRR measures already exist. However, in order to tackle new challenges, it is necessary tofoster new ideas, technology, and innovation within a strong ecosystem of collaboration between individuals,
business, universities, governments and international and regional organizations. The accessibility andrelevance of these innovations is a key success measure. Universities and researchers are critical to exploringnew solutions. There is more that needs to be done to implement these innovations and make them
practically available to vulnerable communities across the region.

Christopher Tremewan

Fumihiko Imamura

Secretary General,

Director,

Association of Pacific Rim Universities

International Research Institute of Disaster
Science, Tohoku University
03

TABLE OF CONTENTS

30 INNOVATIONS LINKING DRR WITH SDGs
Foreword .................................................................................................................... 01
Preface . . ..................................................................................................................... 03
Introduction ............................................................................................................... 07
30 Innovations Linking DRR with SDGs
EMERGENCY RESPONSE ............................................................................................... 09
01. Linking Cash and Voucher Assistance with Social Protection.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
02. Nationalized Cluster Coordination Mechanism.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
03. Certification of Humanitarian Agencies .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
04. My Timeline: Optimizing Emergency Evacuation Per Household . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

HEALTH .. ...................................................................................................................... 19
05. Participatory Monitoring of Health Security on Disaster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
06. Mobile Clinics .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
07. Basic Package for Health Services .. . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

GENDER ...................................................................................................................... 27
08. Gender Perspective in Disaster Relief . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
09. Promoting Women Leadership in Humanitarian and Disaster Risk Reduction in Nepal . . . 30
10. Developing Women Community Leaders: Building Capacity for Fijian Disaster Resilience. . . . 32

WATER ........................................................................................................................ 35
1 1. Green Infrastructure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
12. Integrated Water Resources Management . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
13. Small-scale Reservoir . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

CHILDREN ................................................................................................................... 43
14. Games for Disaster Risk Reduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
15. DRR Educational Materials with a Cartoon Character . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
16. The First 1000 days . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

EDUCATION .................................................................................................................. 51
1 7. Technical Vocational Education and Training . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
18. Museums/Memorials for Disaster Risk Reduction.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
19. Thematic Incubation Centre for Higher Education in Disaster Risk Reduction .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

AGRICULTURE ............................................................................................................. 59
20. Floating Garden for Flood Risk Reduction . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
21. Multi-purpose Roof-top Garden .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
22. Digital Farming for Agricultural Sustainability .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
23. Sustainable Agriculture Kits for Terrace Agriculture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

EARLY WARNING ......................................................................................................... 69
24. Earthquake Guard: Earthquake Early Warning System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
25. Water Battery for Flood Early Warning System.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
26. Flag-based Cyclone Early Warning System. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

DISABILITY .................................................................................................................. 77
2 7. Disability-inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
28. Accessible and Universal Design Standards .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

LIVELIHOOD ................................................................................................................ 83
29. Ecosystem-based Disaster Risk Reduction .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
30. A Nexus approach toward Climate Change, Food Security, and Livelihoods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86

Summary of survey results: 30 innovations linking DRR with SDGs . ............................. 89
APPENDIX . ......................................................................................................... 93- Acknowledgement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
- Project team . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95

Introduction
While there is growing awareness and concern regarding climate change, with a lot of active
discussions surrounding the issue, there is not much information on several other risks facing
the world such as urbanization, an increase in natural hazards, an ageing society, food and water
crises, prolonged conflicts, etc. Innovative solutions are required now more than ever to identify
these issues and address them in an effort to build a resilient society.
A publication entitled “30 Innovations for Disaster Risk Reduction” was released at the Global
Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction held in Geneva in May 2019, which stated that only high-techtools should not be considered innovative and useful; rather, an appropriate strategy is imperative
to change the current global situation and tackle the complexities of modern society.
This publication entitled “30 Innovations linking DRR with SDGs” is the second volume in
the “30 Innovations” series, and includes an additional 30 innovations focusing on 10 sectors—
Emergency response, Gender, Health, Agriculture, Water, Children, Education, Disabilities,
Livelihood, and Early warning—to demonstrate the strong association between DRR and SDGs.
These 10 sectors were selected following detailed discussions by a group of experts in DRR, taking
into consideration the 17 SDGs. It is not possible to discuss and consider DRR without examining
its association with other sectors. It demonstrates the nature of complexities surrounding the DRR
issue, which should also focus on both natural and man-made hazards such as technological andchemical threats. Given that the discussion and consideration on DRR is becoming increasinglyinterdisciplinary and complex, a strong partnership and collaboration beyond sectors is urgently
required.
In order to highlight the association between DRR and the 17 SDGs, each innovation inthis publication highlights the most relevant SDG. For instance, most DRR innovations in thispublication will contribute toward reducing poverty (Goal 1). Accordingly, this publication alsoseeks to highlight the strong association between DRR and SDGs, so that even those who havenot been interested in the DRR issue could realize the need for promoting DRR activities for the
successful implementation of SDGs, and could be encouraged to play an active role in DRR.
This year, the world is facing a potential risk of wildfire caused by climate change, humandevelopment, and other composite reasons. When we talk about the underlying causes andsolutions, it should take into consideration various perspectives such as DRR, development,
environment, forest reservations, agriculture, health, education, energy, sustainable economic
growth, etc. It is obvious that tackling natural disasters is no longer an issue of disaster risk
management.
Similar to the first volume, another survey was conducted on the most effective DRR
innovations, which received 200 responses from academia, governments, the private sector, NGOs,

07and international and regional organizations. The innovation that was selected as the most effectivefrom the 30 listed items in this publication was “Ecosystem-based DRR” under the “Livelihood”
section. Again, this is not a high-tech product, but rather an issue concerning the preservationof what we already have. In fact, of the top 10 innovations selected, only one high-tech product(Earthquake early warning system) was included. Most of them were approaches, systems/
mechanisms and knowledge that already exist. It implies that it is not just high-tech productsthat require our attention and investment; rather, we should look into knowledge, materials,
and approaches that are already available. We should consider how to maintain or channel
these existing ideas, instead of focusing on developing expensive new technologies that requirecomplicated procedures to apply.

08

30 INNOVATIONS LINKING DRR WITH SDGs

EMERGENCY RESPONSE
01. Linking Cash and Voucher Assistance with Social Protection
02. Nationalized Cluster Coordination Mechanism
03. Certification of Humanitarian Agencies
04. My Timeline: Optimizing Emergency Evacuation Per Household

01

Linking Cash and Voucher Assistance withSocial Protection

Linking Humanitarian Cash and Voucher Assistance(CVA) and Social Protection (SP) has become amajor policy and operational priority for concerned
actors, as evidenced by joint commitments fromdonors1, UN agencies2 and NGOs3. These efforts
have accelerated since the World Humanitarian
Summit when social protection emerged as one of
the ways to help strengthen the humanitarian anddevelopment nexus by addressing underlying poverty
and vulnerability and supporting localization. CVA is
particularly suited to this effort; given that; majority
of non-contributory social assistance globally is
cash-based4. There are options for humanitarians tolink with social protection systems at preparedness,

response or recovery stages, and each require anunderstanding of the three building blocks of social
protection systems namely: policy, coordinationand financing, program design and administration.
The considerations around these entry points andits potential for humanitarians to strengthen DRR
through these investments are illustrated below with
examples from Asia.
1

https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/common-donorapproach-feb-19.pdf:
2
https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/2018-12-05-FINAL%20
Statement%20on%20Cash.pdf
3
https://www.collaborativecash.org/our-approach4
http://datatopics.worldbank.org/aspire/

Assessment
Number of death/affected people
54Behavioral change

3

Economic loss

2
1

Cost effectiveness

Environmental
friendliness

Level of application/penetration

Number of Death / Affected people
Economic Loss
Cost EffectivenessLevel of Application / Penetration
Environmental Friendliness
Behavioral Change

10

4
4
4
3
5
3

Cash assistance could mitigate secondary and tertiary impact of disasters.
It directly eases economic hardship of the affected community.
It has a potential of reducing operational cost for bigger impact.
More cases of cash assistance emerging.
It has no negative impact to the environment.
Assistance methodology is changing.

EMERGENCYRESPONSE

Era

Type

Stage

Before 1960s

Earthquake

Response

1960s

Flood

Recovery1970s

Typhoon/ Cyclone

Mitigation

1980s

TsunamiPreparedness

1990s

Volcano2000s

Landslides

2010s

OthersMost Relevant SDGs
From EU Guidance Package on Social Protection across the
Humanitarian-Development Nexus – Philippines case study

How did it drastically change the existing DRR status and strategies?
How is it innovative?
The options for linking CVA with social protection systems will differ depending on theobjective of the humanitarian intervention, the stability of the context, and the maturity of thecountry’s social protection system. In response to the Philippines Typhoon Haiyan in 2013,
for example, the government launched an Emergency Cash Transfer (ECT) programme incollaboration with the World Food Program (WFP), by linking with the existing national social
assistance scheme, “Pantawid”. As a result, 105,000 beneficiaries of the programme received
additional cash, on top of the usual transfer they received, whilst WFP implemented a parallel
programme for new beneficiaries. More people were reached in the first two months throughthe ECT’s existing system than the parallel program, supporting more rapid recovery, at a lower
cost. The government, donors, humanitarian actors and the World Bank have since committed
to investing ex-ante in joint capacity for cash emergency response, that links with, or takes
advantage of the existing social protection system.
This and many other examples demonstrate that linking CVA and social protection
has the potential to drastically change existing DRR strategies, by facilitating speed andscale of humanitarian response, and building on the Value for Money case for preparedness
investments. More collaborative work is needed to exploit this potential, including identifying
innovative funding mechanisms (such as forecast-based financing1) that can bridge the nexus,
and understanding the trade-offs of these investments.
Isabelle Pelly, Independent Consultant
1

https://www.forecast-based-financing.org/2019/06/19/cash-forecast-based-financing-and-early-action-a-powerful-trinity

11

02

Nationalized Cluster Coordination Mechanism

The humanitarian cluster system is one of thecommissioned an effort to identify factors thatimportant improvements to contemporary disasterhindered a speedy and effective humanitarian

management and humanitarian response, emerging

assistance and to propose strategies to improvefrom lessons of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami

timeliness of future humanitarian assistance.

response. At that time, lack of adequate national

This led to the birth of the Humanitarian Reform

and international regulations and the presence

Agenda, which aims to strengthen the responseof too many uncoordinated players resulted incapacity (the humanitarian clusters) and toan overlap and duplication in the provision ofprovide better humanitarian financing (the Central

assistance as well as unmet humanitarian needs

Emergency Response Fund/CERF).

1(Telford & Cosgrave, 2007 ). Thus, in 2005, the1Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) and theUnited Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator

Telford & Cosgrave (2007). The international humanitarian system and the2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunamis.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/j.1467-7717.2007.00337.x

Assessment
Number of death/affected people
54Behavioral change

3

Economic loss

2
1

Environmental
friendliness

Cost effectivenessLevel of application/penetration

Number of Death / Affected people
Economic Loss
Cost EffectivenessLevel of Application / Penetration
Environmental Friendliness
Behavioral Change

12

5
3
4
5
5
5

This initiative is being promoted but much effort will be required to be fully achieved thegoal of reducing disaster effects and responds.
This idea creates mechanisms for reducing economic losses.
It enhances cost effectiveness through coordination.
The initiative emerges from global level with many implementations at National, Municipal
and local levels.
It has no negative impact to the environment.
The approach is being adopted at different level which has the potential for behavioral
change.

EMERGENCYRESPONSE

Era

Type

Stage

Before 1960s

Earthquake

Response

1960s

Flood

Recovery1970s

Typhoon/ Cyclone

Mitigation

1980s

TsunamiPreparedness

1990s

Volcano2000s

Landslides

2010s

OthersMost Relevant SDGs

How did it drastically change the existing DRR status and strategies?
How is it innovative?
The aim of the cluster approach is to strengthen system-wide preparedness and technicalcapacity to respond to humanitarian emergencies and provide clear leadership and accountability
in the main areas of humanitarian response. It is put place by the Inter-Agency Standing
Committee (IASC) to assign and clarify the division of labor amongst organizations and define
their roles and responsibilities within areas of humanitarian activity. Clusters are described
as groups of humanitarian organizations, both UN and non-UN, in each of the main sectorsof humanitarian action such as water, health, nutrition, logistics1. Clusters are established aspart of an international emergency response, based on an analysis of humanitarian needs andcoordination capacity on the ground, and in consultation with national partners2. It is an example
of a concerted social innovation at global level, based on actual emergency response andhumanitarian operations experiences. It has both global and national components.
The coordinated manner of humanitarian cluster approach encourages innovation
amongst actors during disaster and its application generates many benefits. Thus; it ensuresthe coherence of mission objectives, reduces time and resources gap and increase coverageof humanitarian assistance. It also provides connectedness and continuation of assistancefrom emergency response to early recovery. The application of the approach has helped incoordination, stakeholder communication, resource mobilization and movement and manyothers when it was implemented in the 2005 earthquake in Pakistan, Yogyakarta earthquake in20063 and West Sumatra earthquake in 20094.
Mizan Bustanul Fuady Bisri, PhD, JSPS-UNU Post-doctoral Researcher
1

https://www.humanitarianresponse.info/en/about-clusters/what-is-the-cluster-approachhttps://www.humanitarianresponse.info/en/coordination/clusters/activation-and-deactivation-clusters3
http://ccouc.org/_asset/file/5westsumatra.pdf
4
https://www.sheltercluster.org/sites/default/files/docs/indonesia_west_sumatra_earthquake_2009_0.pdf
2

13

03

Certification of Humanitarian Agencies

People show willingness, desire, enthusiasm

which actors in humanitarian response can use forand many other traits in several ways to prevent

effective operations. The principles associated withor alleviate the sufferings of others affected by

CHS does not only help organizations improve, but

unforeseen events, disasters or other circumstances.

also demonstrates a commitment of accountability

These acts are in response to humanitarian

to communities and people affected by crisis andimperative that seeks to save lives and alleviateduring disasters response. In order to support thesuffering. In order to foster coherence among actors

willingness and ability of some organizations toin humanitarian actions, the Core Humanitarianadvance through verification process involved inStandard in Quality and Accountability (CHS)

humanitarian organization recognition, subsidy

outline the commitments and principles fromschemes and support options have been developed.

Assessment
Number of death/affected people
54Behavioral change

3

Economic loss

2
1

Cost effectiveness

Environmental
friendliness

Level of application/penetration

Number of Death / Affected people
Economic Loss
Cost EffectivenessLevel of Application / Penetration
Environmental Friendliness
Behavioral Change

14

2
2
2
2
4
5

Contributes to enhancing organization’s efforts as disaster responders.
This initiative can boost the economic aspects in organizations.
There is less associated cost.
This is being implemented across the globe.
It has no negative impact to the environment.
It offers learning mechanisms for all stakeholders involved.

EMERGENCYRESPONSE

Era

Type

Stage

Before 1960s

Earthquake

Response

1960s

Flood

Recovery1970s

Typhoon/ Cyclone

Mitigation

1980s

TsunamiPreparedness

1990s

Volcano2000s

Landslides

2010s

OthersMost Relevant SDGs

How did it drastically change the existing DRR status and strategies?
How is it innovative?
First, the CHS has paved the way for the establishment of specialized organizations such as
Humanitarian Quality Assurance Initiatives (HQAI). The HQAI is an independent third-party quality
assurance services that provides certification by auditing organizations working with vulnerable
and at-risk communities to enhance their capacities to provide standardized, measurable, quality
and accountable humanitarian services. The provision of the certification by HQAI has attracted
many organizations, individuals to the disaster management field, since the receipt of certification
as a disaster responder opens access to funding from donor agencies and also demonstrates theindividual/organization’s strength in disaster response activities and good governance.
The increase in disaster responders have over the years offered diverse services indisaster risk reduction and response. The Civic Force in Japan was formed wake of the Niigata
Earthquake crisis of 2004 and have been involved in rescue operations since. Another is theDisaster Preparedness and Response Team of Pakistan, formed following the Pakistan earthquake
in 2005. It has since been involved in in rescue operations such the Margalla Towers Collapse– Islamabad (2005), Road Traffic Collision on Sector G9, Islamabad etc. Many of theseorganizations have formed partnerships with other international and local agencies to reducerisks and also save lives. The certification has not only provided these opportunities but also
expanded the capacities and coverage of organizations in assisting disaster hit areas or vulnerable
individuals in need of relief actions.
Sawako Matsuo, Managing Director, Japan Quality and Accountability Network (JQAN)
Board of Director, Humanitarian Quality Assurance Initiative (HQAI)

15

04

My Timeline: Optimizing Emergency Evacuation
Per Household‘My Timeline’ is a chronological household

as the 2018 Western Japan floods have served

evacuation plan which includes: when to evacuate,

as reminders of the importance of household

who to evacuate, what to do after evacuation. The

evacuation preparedness. Municipalities acrossTimeline is useful for determining actions andJapan have initiated the “My Timeline” tool to allow

responsibilities at each stage. Numerous disasters

households to determine optimal evacuation timingin Japan including the 2015 floods in Joso, theand activity taking into consideration the different

2017 rains in Northern Kyushu Island as wellvulnerabilities of each family member.

Assessment
Number of death/affected people
54Behavioral change

3

Economic loss

2
1

Environmental
friendliness

Cost effectivenessLevel of application/penetration

Number of Death / Affected people
Economic Loss
Cost EffectivenessLevel of Application / Penetration
Environmental Friendliness
Behavioral Change

16

5
2
5
3
5
5

My Timeline greatly reduces the number of deaths by ensuring each person is evacuatedto a safe place at an optimal time.
Each household is able to factor in diversifying economic risk to an extent.
It is very cost effective as each plan making is done at a household level.
Municipalities who adopt the tool is increasing, but still not comprehensive enough.
It has no negative impact to the environment.
The concept promotes a paradigm change in optimizing evacuation at a household level.

EMERGENCYRESPONSE

Era

Type

Stage

Before 1960s

Earthquake

Response

1960s

Flood

Recovery1970s

Typhoon/ Cyclone

Mitigation

My Timeline tool designed for school children by Shimodate River
Office1

1980s

TsunamiPreparedness

1

1990s

Volcano2000s

Landslides

2010s

Othershttps://mytimeline.river.or.jp/

Most Relevant SDGs

How did it drastically change the existing DRR status and strategies?
How is it innovative?
‘My Timeline’ has contributed to a mindset shift around disaster evacuation practices, emphasizing
the need for individual household level evacuation preparation and timing. Households with anelderly, disabled or young infant may require more time than other households.
Japanese evacuation warning levels were simplified into 5 levels in 2019, as a way to speed
up evacuations, thereby reducing casualties. For the first time, the warning system includes clear
instructions tied to each level. For example, level 4 means all residents must evacuate, while
the elderly and physically challenged must evacuate at level 31. The importance of self-help andmutual-support are widely recognized in Japan. In case of Western Japan floods in 2018, residentsof Miyoshi District, Ozu City, Ehime Prefecture were able to evacuate effectively because they had
been promoting mutual support initiatives before the disaster, such as preparing evacuation plans
and conducting evacuation drills under the direction of local disaster risk management leaders2.
Yukiko Maki, CWS Japan
Takeshi Komino, CWS Japan1
2

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/backstories/587/
http://www.bousai.go.jp/en/documentation/white_paper/pdf/PI1-1.pdf

17

30 INNOVATIONS LINKING DRR WITH SDGs

HEALTH
05. Participatory Monitoring of Health Security on Disaster06. Mobile Clinics
07. Basic Package for Health Services

05

Participatory Monitoring of Health Security on
Disasterthrough real-time communication with government
and international relief agencies (health clusters)in order to ensure timely decision-making on
health risk reduction. Monitoring is undertaken
through crowdsourcing by engaging community
nurses, health volunteers and stakeholders in thisactive engagement process. This process enables
improvement in delivering quality healthcare andbrings sustainability to communities through healthimprovement. ‘EpiNurse Nepal’, which started
in 2015 after Nepal Earthquake, is one of theexamples of this monitoring system.

The state of health, water, sanitation, food, andother environmental conditions are crucial relief
and recovery efforts during disasters. Accessto the right information and swift response cansave many lives in disaster events. Participatory
Monitoring of Health Security on Disaster is one
approach that aims at implementing healthcare
procedures through information gathering and relay
from disaster hit area to the relevant health actors.
Health and environmental status assessment areundertaken by local residents who usually possess
the in-depth knowledge of the affected area. The
sharing of collected health information is done

Assessment
Number of death/affected people
54Behavioral change

3

Economic loss

2
1

Cost effectiveness

Environmental
friendliness

Level of application/penetration

Number of Death / Affected people
Economic Loss
Cost EffectivenessLevel of Application / Penetration
Environmental Friendliness
Behavioral Change

20

5
3
5
4
5
4

With routine monitoring, health security is maintained.
Participatory Monitoring for health security may not have a direct contribution to economic
loss it reduces the dispatching costs, and monitoring health insurance together can allow
accounting for health expenses.
Participation of local residents makes it cost-effective.
Widely applicable.
It has no negative impact to the environment.
Creates public health awareness.

Type

Stage

Before 1960s

Earthquake

Response

1960s

Flood

Recovery1970s

Typhoon/ Cyclone

Mitigation

1980s

TsunamiPreparedness

1990s

Volcano2000s

Landslides

2010s

OthersHEALTH

Era

Most Relevant SDGs

How did it drastically change the existing DRR status and strategies?
How is it innovative?
When disaster occurs, the immediate concern is how to care for people in the open field and how
to reach out to other populations in need. One of the critical challenges for health responders is tomake data to generate reasonable information to help communities recover from the impact of thedisaster and prevent possible epidemics. There is a participatory approach that mobilizes domestic
health professionals and community local health members like nurses and health volunteers totake urgent steps to make use of available and disaggregated data and set up information systems
in order to make rapid health assessments and gather more information to prevent outbreaks. Thisapproach contributes to a realistic and fast monitoring tool for collecting community health status
to be shared in a speedy and accurate manner. It also helps to develop a sustainable network associal capital to ensure that no one is left behind in disaster risk reduction.
An example of is the Epi-Nurse Nepal. Under this program, Nurses are trained on rapid healthassessment and the use of open source mapping and referral system. It also Includes surveillancesystem to help gather information on the ground to inform health interventions especially during
disasters. Days after the devastating earthquake on April 25, 2015, Nursing Association of Nepal(NAN) were able to send team of nurses to affected areas such as: Sindhupalchowk (Thulobhotang,
Chautara, Melamchi), Jiri, Dhading to deliver medicine, rice, food, clothes, water, soup1. Their
prompt actions save many lives and they continue to be crucial part in the health system of Nepal.
Sakiko Kanbara, RN, Ph.D. Professor, University of Kochi, Founder, EpiNurse
1

Kanbara Sakiko (2016): Participatory Surveillance on evacuation site by local nurses and ICT in Nepal in Shaw R., Izumi T., Shi P., Lu L., Yang S., Ye
Q. (2016): Asia Science Technology Status for Disaster Risk Reduction, published by IRDR, Future Earth and ASTAAG, Beijing, China, p. 83

21

06

Mobile Clinics
promote reproductive health and family-planning,
immunization and many others health services.
Mobile clinics overcome barriers to access andbuild trust to reduce disparities, minimize healthrisks and reduce healthcare costs.

Mobile Clinics consist of traveling healthpractitioners who provide basic healthcare services
to communities in inaccessible areas and areparticularly vulnerable to disasters. Besides
providing primary health services, Mobile Clinics
also facilitate disaster risk reduction training,

Assessment
Number of death/affected people
54Behavioral change

3

Economic loss

2
1

Cost effectiveness

Environmental
friendliness

Level of application/penetration

Number of Death / Affected people
Economic Loss
Cost EffectivenessLevel of Application / Penetration
Environmental Friendliness
Behavioral Change

22

5
4
5
5
5
4

The program provides services that improve the quality of health as well as offer guidance
to reduce effects of disasters.
The population is able to make informed decision based on information received tosafeguard their economic risk.
Application of the program requires low investment and is able to reach wider audience
at community level.
The use of Mobile Clinics is being spread across many areas throughout Bangladesh.
It has no negative impact to the environment.
The program is still new to some people.

Type

Stage

Before 1960s

Earthquake

Response

1960s

Flood

Recovery1970s

Typhoon/ Cyclone

Mitigation

1980s

TsunamiPreparedness

1990s

Volcano2000s

Landslides

2010s

OthersHEALTH

Era

Most Relevant SDGs

How did it drastically change the existing DRR status and strategies?
How is it innovative?
Mobile Clinics are an efficient innovation to provide healthcare to areas where health infrastructures
are inadequate to respond to a large number of people. This is important in a country like
Bangladesh, which is highly disaster prone with large low-income and poorly educated populations
living in poorly-developed rural, slum areas and refugee camps which struggle to afford healthcare costs. Mobile Clinics offer opportunities to meet health needs by providing services such asindividual/family tracking, screening of disease, primary health care services and follow-up, referral
services.
Mobile Clinics also offer disaster risk reduction and awareness trainings, effectively reducing
mobility and mortality rates across in Bangladesh. The Dhaka Community Hospital Trust applied
this innovation in the Rohingya refugee camps in Cox’s Bazaar, Bangladesh. Its application has
also been supported by many international and humanitarian donor organizations. Mobile clinics
are reaching many other areas with urgent needs in Bangladesh. Mobile Clinics contribute to the
reduction of vulnerabilities in less privileged communities by providing basic health care to reduce
mortality rates as well as promote effective vulnerability reduction measures against disasters.
Md. Golam Mostofa, Director, Project & Research, Dhaka Community Hospital Trust
Dr. Md. Fuadul Islam, Innovation Project Manager, Udhvabani (Innovation) Lab
Bangladesh, Project & Research, Dhaka Community Hospital Trust
Sadia Samad Mow, Monitoring Evaluation & Learning Manager, Udhvabani (Innovation)
Lab Bangladesh, Project & Research, Dhaka Community Hospital Trust

23

07

Basic Package for Health Services
The BPHS package includes both curativeand preventive health care services and it a goodfoundation for health system recovery in the
country. It raises awareness on disease prevention
while providing services on maternal health,immunization, public nutrition, communicabledisease, mental health, and many more. The
package also standardizes classification of its
health facilities and relevant services in 6 levels,from a smaller health facility such as health posts
to a larger health facility as district hospital.

Decades of war and conflicts demolished manysystems and infrastructures in Afghanistan including
health system. Ministry of Public Health developed
the Basic Package for Health Services (BPHS) in
2002 with the support of its donors including WHO,
World Bank, USAID and European Community. The
BPHS is a comprehensive standardized packagethat provides equal access to quality primary healthcare services across Afghanistan. It emphasizes
on making significant improvement and impact in
the health sector and health service delivery in the
country through cost effectiveness approach.

Assessment
Number of death/affected people
54Behavioral change

3

Economic loss

2
1

Environmental
friendliness

Cost effectivenessLevel of application/penetration

Number of Death / Affected people
Economic Loss
Cost EffectivenessLevel of Application / Penetration
Environmental Friendliness
Behavioral Change

24

5
5
5
5
5
4

The program has significantly improved quality of health and reduced mortality rates.
The program through its training has also improve the financial situation of the many
people.
Its terms of its deliverables, this program is cost effective.
This initiative is being applied in many aspects within the Afghan system.
It has no negative impact to the environment.
This initiative has offered a positive behavioral change because it is community and local
based approach.

Type

Stage

Before 1960s

Earthquake

Response

1960s

Flood

Recovery1970s

Typhoon/ Cyclone

Mitigation

1980s

TsunamiPreparedness

1990s

Volcano2000s

Landslides

2010s

OthersHEALTH

Era

Most Relevant SDGs

How did it drastically change the existing DRR status and strategies?
How is it innovative?
BPHS is a well-designed mechanism that facilitated the standardization of healthcare provisionand gave a clear and strategized direction to healthcare improvement in Afghanistan. The
implementation of BPHS facilitated activities of all stakeholders within the health sector andoffered coordination and consistency in providing quality health services. This effort increased
health coverage and accessibility from 10% to 80% through a provincial cluster approach. BPHS
was able to facilitate the training of community midwives, male and female nurses in mostvillages within the provinces. This was done through the establishment of midwifery schools ineach region of the country.
There are other strives in the health sector since the introduction of BPHS in Afghanistan
in 2002. There is an increase in Ante-Natal Care (ANC) rates from 7% to 59% and increase
immunization rates from 49% to 70%, modern contraceptive rates from 5% to 20%, skilled birthattendant rates from 12.8% to 58.8%. Maternal Mortality rates have declined from 1600 /100,000
to 143/100,000 life birth and under 5 mortality rates have reduced from 257/1000 to 59 /1000.
Similarly; there has been improvement in personal hygiene practices such as hand washing,awareness and prevention of communicable diseases and a wider use of mosquitoes net. These
practices have increased mitigation and preparedness against disease and improved the healthconditions of the people. Furthermore, there is the establishment of community-based outfits,
which provide health services to sustain and strengthen local communities. The outfit collaborate
with other health volunteers and as disaster responders, they are usually quick to any events related
to health risks and needs. Since BPHS focuses on cost effective prevention and community-based
health care services, it is able to enhance community resilience through disease prevention andother health related countermeasures.
Nejabat Khan Safi, Associate Director, Community World Service Asia25

30 INNOVATIONS LINKING DRR WITH SDGs

GENDER
08. Gender Perspective in Disaster Relief
09. Promoting Women Leadership in Humanitarian and Disaster Risk Reduction in Nepal
10. Developing Women Community Leaders: Building Capacity for Fijian Disaster Resilience08

Gender Perspective in Disaster Relief
from the viewpoint of male leaders. This however
has been changing in recent years. Thus, the Hyogo
Framework for Action and the Sendai Frameworkfor Disaster Risk Reduction have emphasized the
involvement of women as major stakeholders at
levels of disaster management within communities.
Many governments understand the importance ofincluding gender perspectives in their policies, but
still struggle to translate them into action at thecommunity level.

The importance of gender perspectives in disaster
relief began to draw attention in early 1990s when
the world realized that, disasters do not affecteveryone equal either in developed and developing
countries. The worst effect is always experienced
by the people in vulnerable areas and situations.
From gender perspectives, women’s experiences
and outputs in disasters management have always
been invisible. Therefore, policies, plans andprograms have always been built and implemented

Assessment
Number of death/affected people
54Behavioral change

3

Economic loss

2
1

Environmental
friendliness

Cost effectivenessLevel of application/penetration

Number of Death / Affected people
Economic Loss
Cost EffectivenessLevel of Application / Penetration
Environmental Friendliness
Behavioral Change

28

3
3
4
3
5
5

Formulation of gender integrated disaster management plan is the first step. It is important
to empower both men and women for saving their life in times of disaster through trainings.
By utilizing both men and women resources, community can protect their assets.
For empowering women, it is necessary to prepare some cost for the first step.
Many governments understood the importance of gender perspectives, but it still has many
challenges for implementation for local government and community people.
It has no negative impact to the environment.
It required to change mindset of gender concept in the society.

Era

Type

Stage

Earthquake

Response

1960s

Flood

Recovery1970s

Typhoon/ Cyclone

Mitigation

1980s

TsunamiPreparedness

1990s

Volcano2000s

Landslides

2010s

OthersGENDER

Before 1960s

Most Relevant SDGs

How did it drastically change the existing DRR status and strategies?
How is it innovative?
Since the Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake (known as the Kobe earthquake) in 1995, Japan has
experienced numerous large scale disasters including the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011,
the Kumamoto Earthquake in 2016, and western Japan heavy rain disaster in 2018. After thedisasters, local government have the primary role to establish emergency shelters for the affected
people, but these are expected to be handled by local disaster management volunteers, or voluntaryneighborhood disaster prevention organizations. As the society retains traditional gender roles, (inwhich men are believed to be leaders and women support these leaders and work), evacuation
shelters are typically run by mostly elderly male leaders who often overlook the needs of women
including the provision of sanitary items, toiletries’, well-sized underwear, a private change space,prevention of Gender-based Violence (GBV). Various preparedness measures can be taken toenhance the involvement of gender perspectives in disaster relief, such as increasing the numberof female members on the Disaster Prevention Council, which formulate local disaster management
plans and a shelter management manual. The process of formulating these items can be important
opportunities to increase female participation. For example, in Miki City in Hyogo Prefecture, thenumber of female members of the Disaster Prevention Council increased from 8.1% to 30% for therevision of the local disaster management plan. Before the disaster prevention meeting for finalizing
the revision of local disaster management plan, a series of workshops were held with female council
members and local women's organizations, and amendments were made after discussing whatkind of gender perspectives should be mentioned in the plan. Based on the revision of disastermanagement plan, a study seminar was organized for all staff, and several seminars were held
for community members to share the importance of gender integrated disaster management. The
inclusion of all gender perspectives enhance disaster relief and recovery efforts and promote selfawareness to reducing vulnerabilities after disasters.
Yoko SAITO (yoko.saito@kwansei.ac.jp), Institute of Disaster Area Revitalization,
Regrowth and Governance, Kwansei Gakuin University

29

09

Promoting Women Leadership in Humanitarianand Disaster Risk Reduction in Nepal
survival and resilience of families and communities.
It is therefore vital to empower women fromfederal level to community level. To this effect, the“Women Humanitarian Platform (WHP), Nepal”
was established by women professionals working in
the humanitarian sector, Disaster Risk Reduction(DRR), and climate change sectors to promotewomen leadership for effective response in timeof disaster and resilience development at various
levels (Federal, Province, Local and Community).
WHP also conducts discourses on women issues
during emergencies.

Prevailing gender inequalities in Nepal and many
parts of the world render women and girls more
vulnerable to the impact of disasters. The impacts
of disasters and crises are not gender-neutral, as
there is evidence to suggest that, when disasters
strike and humanitarian crises unfold, women andgirls bear most of the impacts. In disaster events,
women and girls experience higher mortality,
exclusion from humanitarian services and decisionmaking processes, increased levels of gender-based
violence, and loss of livelihoods especially during
emergencies. However, women are often the first
responders to crises, and are integral element to theAssessment
Number of death/affected people
54Behavioral change

3

Economic loss

2
1

Cost effectiveness

Environmental
friendliness

Level of application/penetration

Number of Death / Affected people
Economic Loss
Cost EffectivenessLevel of Application / Penetration
Environmental Friendliness
Behavioral Change

30

3
3
4
3
5
4

The activities contribute to improve women’s capacity in DRR.
Women can reduce economic loss in the society.
The activities require limited costs.
Activities are expanding to the local level.
Negative impacts are minimal.
Women can become the agent of change in DRR.

Era

Type

Stage

Earthquake

Response

1960s

Flood

Recovery1970s

Typhoon/ Cyclone

Mitigation

1980s

TsunamiPreparedness

1990s

Volcano2000s

Landslides

2010s

Others

Women Humanitarian Platform members in posing photo after the
meeting on 5th November 2019

GENDER

Before 1960s

Most Relevant SDGs

How did it drastically change the existing DRR status and strategies?
How is it innovative?
Women are most often considered as the vulnerable group during disasters. However, theempowerment of women in recent times has generated the perceptions that, they can also become
agents of change. There are several examples in Nepal from national level to local level where
women have been important contributors to search and rescue efforts, relief distributions, andpsychosocial counselling. The establishment of WHP in Nepal reinforces the empowerment of
women by bringing the few female professionals in humanitarian action and DRR into a common
platform to provide opportunities for members to share knowledge, skills and experiences. DRR
efforts require motivation and capacity building and as such; this platform builds synergies to offer
support to women professionals and others. Their efforts also extend to others such as, local andcommunity leaders in humanitarian response and DRR.
The platform has already developed its action plan to empower female humanitarians andat the same time, there is also a representation of more than 40% females elected into local
government offices. The platform which is currently at the federal level will extend its network tocollaborate with provincial and local level governments to conduct action research in the sectorof humanitarian response and also support in policy review and gap identification. The platform
would be used to conduct different dialogues focusing on existing and emerging issues of young
girls, women, girl child and elderly women during emergency. The platform will also advocate
for the recognition of efforts and contribution of females in humanitarian service within in Nepal
and beyond. WHP is the first platform that is established in Nepal to empower women to leadeffective and efficient humanitarian response by identifying, mapping and acknowledging women
humanitarians in DRR.
Krishna Karkee (kkarkee@gmail.com), Coordinator, Women Humanitarian Platform, Nepal
Centre for Disaster Management Studies, Nepal

31

10

Developing Women Community Leaders: Building
Capacity for Fijian Disaster Resilience

Rural and remote communities in Fiji are highly

in Fiji to provide training-of-trainers (ToT) as wellvulnerable to hazards. As community leaders,as support to empower female leaders in disaster

women have high potential to contribute to disaster

resilience. A team of policewomen were trained inresilience. Therefore, it is important to build their

the ToT, and were further provided with training

capacities in disaster risk assessment, preparedness,package and support to run other training courses.

response and recovery. The International Training

This demonstrates that, capacity building initiatives

Center for Authorities and Leaders (CIFAL) throughfor disaster resilience can be implemented effectively

its affiliate; CIFAL-Newcastle at the University

when there is a local interest, engagement andof Newcastle, as part of a global United Nations

participation.

Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) support
network, has collaborated with local stakeholders

Assessment
Number of death/affected people
54Behavioral change

3

Economic loss

2
1

Environmental
friendliness

Cost effectivenessLevel of application/penetration

Number of Death / Affected people
Economic Loss
Cost EffectivenessLevel of Application / Penetration
Environmental Friendliness
Behavioral Change

32

3
2
4
3
5
4

It is not proven yet but it will contribute to reducing the numbers.
It is not proven yet but it will contribute at certain level to reducing the amount.
Not very costly, can be implemented in rural areas of developing countries with simple
materials. The initial start-up training can be a bit high, but then reduces.
This is yet to be assessed, but a high level of interest was evident.
It has no negative impact to the environment.
Certain level of effectiveness in behavioral change, however, the key challenge remains
for sustaining the initiative beyond the initial stage.

Era

Type

Stage

Earthquake

Response

1960s

Flood

Recovery1970s

Typhoon/ Cyclone

Mitigation

1980s

TsunamiPreparedness

1990s

Volcano2000s

Landslides

2010s

OthersGENDER

Before 1960s

Most Relevant SDGs

How did it drastically change the existing DRR status and strategies?
How is it innovative?
This project was targeted primarily for female leaders, and as such the participants in both training
courses were mostly women (70 -75%). Working in partnership with local policewomen allowed the
involvement and participation of women from the communities. However, there were participationof a number of men in the courses, from agencies and the rural community representatives. The
training was based on an inclusive approach to strengthening the partnership between womenand men for achieving disaster resilience. The uniqueness and innovative aspects of this training
was the use of the contextualized training packs derived from local consultations and workshops.
The pack was tested in the village training course and was found adequately user-friendly andappropriate for rural context. The ToT concept was unique in Fiji, particularly in the context of ruralcommunities there.
The training events were evaluated positively by the participants, and they realized the valueof such training programs especially because of the heavy involvement of women and the effort fordisaster resilience. The need for more training programs on women and disaster resilience in Fijiwas highly encouraged by the training participants. It is as yet not possible to identify the longterm impacts of this initiative, but it was clear from the training that the women participants hadgreat potential to contribute towards future initiatives, and the training brought awareness to thecommunity of the importance of the role of women in disaster risk reduction, which also spread byword-of-mouth to surrounding communities.
Iftekhar Ahmed (ifte.ahmed@newcastle.edu.au). Associate Professor, School ofArchitecture and Built Environment, University of Newcastle, Australia
T. Gajendran, G. Brewer and H. Giggins, University of Newcastle, Australia3330 INNOVATIONS LINKING DRR WITH SDGs

WATER
11. Green Infrastructure
12. Integrated Water Resources Management
13. Small-scale Reservoir

11Green Infrastructure

Green infrastructure (GI) is regarded as the

such as EU countries and In Japan, GI is consideredsustainable management strategy of land andas sustainable and resilient infrastructure for disaster

infrastructure by using multiple ecosystem services.

management using natural functions. For example,

Conventional infrastructure is sometimes referred

wetlands around rivers work as both retarding

to as “grey infrastructure” and used for a single-

basins and natural habitats. In reality, the measures

purpose. GI, however, aims to not only help manage

only with natural functions have limited DRR

disasters but also conserve nature, deliveringfunctions and can be unreliable. Therefore, mixing

environmental, social, and economic benefits. The GI

conventional grey structure and GI, sometimes

concept is still an early concept and therefore doesreferred to as hybrid infrastructure (or approach), is

not yet have a clear definition. In the US, GI seeks

useful for sustainable and reliable DRR.

to reduce and treat urban stormwater. In other areas,

Assessment
Number of death/affected people
54Behavioral change

3

Economic loss

2
1

Cost effectiveness

Environmental
friendliness

Level of application/penetration

Number of Death / Affected people
Economic Loss
Cost EffectivenessLevel of Application / Penetration
Environmental Friendliness
Behavioral Change

36

4
4
3
2
5
3

GI can be expected to reduce victims.
With resilient nature, the cost of recovery could be saved, and natural capitals areconserved.
GI is considered as low-cost measure; however, because of technological immaturity, itsometimes needs more cost.
Practice of GI is still in the early stage.
GI is the eco-friendly measures.
It enhances behavioral change gradually on government as well as diverse stakeholders.

Era

Type

Stage

Before 1960s

Earthquake

Response

1960s

Flood

Recovery1970s

Typhoon/ Cyclone

Mitigation

1980s

TsunamiPreparedness

1990s

Volcano2000s

Landslides

2010s

OthersWetland created for flood control in the Hino River, Fukui, Japan

Most Relevant SDGs

WATER

How did it drastically change the existing DRR status and strategies?
How is it innovative?
DRR as well as human daily life are important factors when considering infrastructure fordevelopment. An ecologically friendly infrastructure has the potential to improve quality of life andas such; has gained attention within the build environment profession. GI is one such approach thatutilizes nature, natural process and mechanism for infrastructure development and city planning (orland use). GI does not only utilize or restore nature, but also develop economy and society.
River restoration is a good example of GI. For instance, the excavation of river channels; atypical flood control technology of DRR, can create or restore wetland environment that works
as both a habitat and a beautiful landscape. These restored habitats often attract fishes, birds,
storks and many other wetland wildlife. They also generates new economic opportunities bycreating attractive waterfronts which attract tourists, restaurants and other economic activities.
Effective implementation of GI can also stimulate effective city planning by restoring balance
within a city’s ecosystem.
The introduction of the GI paradigm requires people to reconsider infrastructure
management and DRR strategies. GI requires long term investment and collaboration of multiple
sectors including public and private partnership. The concept of GI has not prevailed yet because
it is a relatively new approach and there are limited good practices. Further studies are expected
to promote eco-friendly and sustainable DRR with GI.
NAKAMURA Keigo (nakamura-k573bs@pwri.go.jp), Head of River Restoration Team andDirector of Aqua Restoration Research Center, Public Works Research Institute

37

12

Integrated Water Resources Management
development and management of water, land andrelated resources, in order to maximize the resultant
economic and social welfare in an equitablemanner without compromising the sustainability ofvital ecosystems”1. IWRM is now incorporated in
the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This
notwithstanding, water resource problems persist, witha need for greater practical implementation of IWRM.

The concept of Integrated Water Resources
Management (IWRM) was consolidated in the Dublin
Principles in 1992, and has changed the existingbasic notion of water resources management.
IWRM reflected in “Agenda 21” and was adopted
by the United Nations Conference on Environmentand Development in 1992. The concept of IWRM
has been developed based on the experiences andempirical evidences from actors and practitioners
engaged in engaged in local level activities. The
Global Water Partnership (GWP), a global action
network to foster IWRM founded in 1996, defined
IWRM as a “process which promotes the coordinated1

Integrated Water Resources Management in Action. WWAP, DHI Water Policy,
UNEP-DHI Centre for Water and Environment. 2009.
https://www.un.org/waterforlifedecade/iwrm.shtml

Assessment
Number of death/affected people
54Behavioral change

3

Economic loss

2
1

Environmental
friendliness

Cost effectivenessLevel of application/penetration

Number of Death / Affected people
Economic Loss
Cost EffectivenessLevel of Application / Penetration
Environmental Friendliness
Behavioral Change

38

4
4
4
3
5
5

Integrated flood and drought management is one of the effective directions to reduce thenumber of death/affected people.
IWRM acts as an engine in carrying out countermeasures based on the social consensus
building although it takes time.
It does not require significant resources but takes time to democratically coordinate
stakeholders and build social consensus.
IWRM is already commonly accepted, but its effective implementation is still an issue.
IWRM restores balance in the ecosystem and promotes effective environmentally friendly
activities.
the approach of IWRM promotes change in attitude towards the environment.

Era

Type

Stage

Before 1960s

Earthquake

Response

1960s

Flood

Recovery1970s

Typhoon/ Cyclone

Mitigation

1980s

TsunamiPreparedness

1990s

Volcano2000s

Landslides

2010s

Others

Welfare and Happiness

Most Relevant SDGs

WATER

How did it drastically change the existing DRR status and strategies?
How is it innovative?
IWRM provides the following three services: 1) utilizes and conserves water for people, industries,
farms and natural environment, 2) removes or stores excess water to protect human andnature against water disasters, and 3) builds social consensus under constraints and conflicts
to coordinate trade-offs among various water purposes. The implantation of IWRM process
encourages the integration and control of both natural and man-made water resource systems forthe benefit of humans and environment. This is particularly important when applying structuraland non-structural measures in development and DRR approaches. Climate change has led to
an intensive rainfall which has accelerates floods and sediment disasters. On the other hand,climate change has also increased the intensity of drought occurrence. Increasing droughts resultin poor harvest in rain-fed agriculture and the lack of water irrigation often leads to water scarcity
and water conflicts. Natural and man-made water systems must be accommodating enough tomeet the needs of these strained natural water resources.
The “local context” is critical when it comes to solving water resource problems. These may
be related to water use (water supply, sewerage, health, agriculture and hydro-power supply),environment (basin conservation, water quality, ecosystem and waterfront) or disaster risk
(flood, inundation and sediment related hazard). We also may see conflicts among sectors andstakeholders. Climate Change impacts to nature and societies have gradually become obvious.
Therefore, the problem could be solved through Multi-Stakeholders Partnership (MSP) andconsensus building. In situations where there is a lack of agreement or consensus to proposedsolutions due complexities of problems and stakeholders’ relation, lessons and leverages drawn
from the experiences could be revised and for future engagements. This is a problem-solvingoriented approach under IWRM concept called “Practical IWRM”.
Kenji NAGATA, Senior advisor on water resources and disasters, JICA

39

13

Small-scale Reservoir

A small-scale reservoir, in parallel with direct intake

irrigation and livestock water as well as drinking andfrom rivers and abstraction from wells/springs, havedomestic water. They may be also utilized for micro-

been utilized since ancient times as an effective waterhydropower generation. Moreover, they can play a role

resources development method. Today, small-scale

as a flood regulation pond to temporarily store flood

reservoirs serve multiple benefits. Water that is stored

water. Small-scale reservoirs especially in urban areas

in a reservoir in rainy season is used in dry season

are put to practical use for not only flood measuresby adapting to seasonal changes in precipitation

and rainwater harvesting but also a biotope of naturaland river discharge and mitigating drought impacts.

ecosystem that a wide variety of creatures live in.

Many small-scale reservoirs are utilized to supply

Assessment
Number of death/affected people
54Behavioral change

3

Economic loss

2
1

Environmental
friendliness

Cost effectivenessLevel of application/penetration

Number of Death / Affected people
Economic Loss
Cost EffectivenessLevel of Application / Penetration
Environmental Friendliness
Behavioral Change

40

4
4
4
5
4
3

One small-scale reservoir can do a little but the many can do much.
Water stored in small-scale reservoirs can contribute to people’s healthy lives, agricultural
production and flood mitigation.
A small-scale reservoir can be constructed near residential areas. Its construction cost is
relatively low.
A small-scale reservoir has a long history and has been applied all over the world. Moreover,the new function such as a biotope and underground water storage is being proposed.
The “small-scale” is environmentally friendly.
A small-scale reservoir follows the concept of “local production for local consumption”,
and can avoid unnecessary conflict on water.

Era

Type

Stage

Before 1960s

Earthquake

Response

1960s

Flood

Recovery1970s

Typhoon/ Cyclone

Mitigation

1980s

TsunamiPreparedness

1990s

Volcano2000s

Landslides

2010s

OthersMost Relevant SDGs

Small-scale reservoir in Japan (Okazaki City) derived from website

WATER

How did it drastically change the existing DRR status and strategies?
How is it innovative?
There are two types of small-scale water reservoirs. The first is a “pond” which is made by
excavating existing natural land depression area to a much deeper depth to increase the storage
capacity of water volume. Ring levees are usually used around pond. The pond stores watertransferred from rivers/wadis or qanats/springs through a canal. It is mostly constructed onplain areas near settlements. Therefore, it often has risks of eutrophication with fertilizer fromfarmlands, household wastewater and livestock excretion. The second is “a reservoir” that is
made with an earth dam banking up across a river or wadi. The reservoir is constructed in hilly
areas, and its water quality is generally good because they are usually made away from humanactivities and other pollutants.
Reservoirs provide many benefits and are useful in many ways. For instance; the Deccan
Plateau in India, is a worldwide cotton production area characterized less rainfall. However, anumber of small-scale irrigation reservoirs have been constructed to boost the cotton production.
The mountainous regions of Central China is also a world-famous small-scale irrigation reservoirs
area. The semi-arid regions of middle-east is equally taking advantage of small-scale reservoirs
to store water from wadis and qanats. In Africa, the “Hafir” in Sudan, which has a diameterof between 70-250 m and heights of up to 7 m, is a small-scale reservoir of rainwater or wadi
water and is important in supplying drinking/irrigation/livestock water. In Japan annual rainfall
abounds but fluctuates in seasons, and quickly flows down to the sea due to steep topography
and short rivers. Thus, small-scale reservoirs have been developed and constructed as a national
project since the seventh century. There are presently 200,000 small-scale reservoirs. Smallscale reservoirs are also utilized in urban areas to restrain flood runoff and to store rainwater for
multipurpose use. An underground water storage facility can effectively leverage its upper land.
A pre-engineered storage reservoir made with plastic material is environment-friendly, low costand has short construction periods as comparing to concrete-made storage facility. Small scale
reservoirs have advantages of not only storing and supplying waters but can also be used tocontrol water distribution and paths to prevents flooding and other water related disasters.
Kenji NAGATA, Senior advisor on water resources and disasters, JICA

41

30 INNOVATIONS LINKING DRR WITH SDGs

CHILDREN
14. Games for Disaster Risk Reduction
15. DRR Educational Materials with a Cartoon Character
16. The First 1000 days

14Games for Disaster Risk Reduction

Numerous games have been developed to teach,

Examples include the “Tsukumor Expedition-

engage and involve children in disaster risk

Escape the Disaster Island”, an original board

reduction. The games are designed to educate

game in which the player becomes a member ofchildren about how best to prepare themselves

the Tsukumol expedition team, and must escapefor multiple disasters by providing an opportunityfrom an island facing numerous disasters. A similar

to participate in a variety of activities including

DRR board game called Riskland, was developed inhazard and threat identification, drills, evacuation

Viet Nam. Similar to “snakes and ladders” (known

planning, home adjustments, search and rescue

as “chutes and ladders” in some countries) the

training, and risk communication. As agents ofVietnamese adaptation includes illustrations fromchange, it is hoped that children can in turn, shareschoolchildren that depict local geography to teachthis knowledge and educate their family and wider

about climate change and local environmental

communities.

threats, such as flooding and winds.

Assessment
Number of death/affected people
54Behavioral change

3

Economic loss

2
1

Cost effectiveness

Environmental
friendliness

Level of application/penetration

Number of Death / Affected people
Economic Loss
Cost EffectivenessLevel of Application / Penetration
Environmental Friendliness
Behavioral Change

44

3
3
5
3
5
4

Used for education, disaster preparedness and prevention, thus potentially reducing
disaster impacts.
It can be used to create awareness to reduce economic loss.
Highly cost effective.
Gradually being adopted.
It has no negative impact to the environment.
High level of effectiveness in behavioral change.

Era

Type

Stage

Before 1960s

Earthquake

Response

1960s

Flood

Recovery1970s

Typhoon/ Cyclone

Mitigation

1980s

TsunamiPreparedness

1990s

Volcano2000s

Landslides

2010s

OthersMost Relevant SDGs

Stop Disasters Game! (UN ISDR, 2009)

Meaningful participation is best developed through practice. DRR concepts may seem

CHILDREN

How did it drastically change the existing DRR status and strategies?
How is it innovative?
abstract to many children who have not experienced disasters, but games provide the kind ofexperiential learning that engage children in a memorable and fun way. They have also beenfound to help children socialize, develop skills, knowledge and self-efficacy and boost theirconfidence to discuss disasters with peers and family1.
Children’s vulnerability in the face of disasters is well established, yet their involvement
and mobilization during and after are also considered critical to community resilience1.
Informed and engaged children may be better able to protect themselves and others. The
importance of risk education to reduce the impacts of disasters has been proven on manyoccasions, with the example of the Kamaishi schools during the 2011 Great East Japan
Earthquake (GEJE) and subsequent tsunami the most well-known. Despite heavy impacts
numerous casualties in this coastal city, all 3000 school children evacuated to higher ground,and are recognized for taking appropriate and decisions while helping the more vulnerable2.
Techniques for experiential learning, such as games, are some of the best ways to help promotechildren’s knowledge, awareness and survival.
Jessica Alexander, Independent Consultant
12Involving children in disaster risk reduction: the importance of participation, Betty Pfefferbaum, Rose L. Pfefferbaum, and Richard L. Van Horn,
Eur J Psychotraumatol. 2018; 9(sup2): 1425577. Published online 2018 Feb 5
OECD: Disaster risk reduction education in Japan, Tools for Risk Governance.

45

15

DRR Educational Materials with a Cartoon
Character

Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and different

to increase the capacity of primary and secondary

hazards are serious topics for children, andschool children to respond to disaster throughcreativity is needed in attracting their attention.

the School’s Preparedness Program. Characters

MERCY Malaysia, an international NGO inof a popular cartoons series are used to convey

Malaysia, has developed a set of DRR educational

disaster preparedness messages, even for publicmaterials with very a popular cartoon character

announcements on television. The cartoon was onamong children called “Bola kampung” created bya video, posters, workbooks, flashcard games andAnimesia Studio SDN BHD. The collaboration aimed

board games, and successful at attracting children.

Assessment
Number of death/affected people
54Behavioral change

3

Economic loss

2
1

Environmental
friendliness

Cost effectivenessLevel of application/penetration

Number of Death / Affected people
Economic Loss
Cost EffectivenessLevel of Application / Penetration
Environmental Friendliness
Behavioral Change

46

4
2
3
3
2
5

With enhancement of children’s awareness on DRR contributed to reduce the impact.
It is uncertain whether how much it contributed to reduce economic loss.
As long as it is possible to gain the pro-bono service, the cost effectiveness will be
extremely high. But if not, it will be expensive.
It depends on the collaboration with the private sector and other stakeholders. If thecompany was convinced to work together, the level of application could be high.
It has no negative impact to the environment.
It has increased children’s knowledge on DRR and impacted behavioral change.

Era

Type

Stage

Before 1960s

Earthquake

Response

1960s

Flood

Recovery1970s

Typhoon/ Cyclone

Mitigation

1980s

TsunamiPreparedness

1990s

Volcano2000s

Landslides

2010s

OthersMost Relevant SDGs

This is also a good example highlighting the importance of collaboration between the private

CHILDREN

How did it drastically change the existing DRR status and strategies?
How is it innovative?
sector and NGO. The animation company rendered the right to use of the character to the NGO
on a pro-bono basis. Animesia was convinced that the program would be impactful, in linewith their CSR direction and result in more exposure and a healthy image for their animation
character and brand. Ultimately, the program built a strong corporate image and brought more
opportunities in business development by working with an NGO.
This initiative was innovative mainly in two ways: using the popular cartoon character for
DRR education to attract children’s’ attention; and successful pro-bono collaboration between
the private sector and an NGO. The private sector gained increased publicity and visibility,
and this became a good promotion for them. While the private sector may believe it will takeadditional efforts and resources to initiate and be involved in a project that they have neverparticipated in, it is not always the case. They can explore the way to make the best use of
their existing products and expertise, and for that purpose, the support and approach by NGOs
and other stakeholders are crucial to gain advice and guidance as the private sector often does
not realize how their products can make contribution to DRR. The collaboration with an NGO
and the private sector made this innovation possible.
Takako Izumi, International Research Institute of Disaster Science (IRIDeS), Tohoku University

47

16

The First 1000 days

At least 1 in 3 children under 5 years of age isbirth, as early as the second trimester of gestation.

undernourished or overweight, and 1 in 2 suffers

Studies have found that the nutritional status offrom hidden hunger, undermining the capacity of

mother and the child from conception throughmillions of children to grow and develop to their

the first two years of life are important factors

1

full potential . The importance of focusing on thecontributing to under-nutrition and stunting infirst 1000 days of life has been widely recognized,

childhood.

because it is a crucial period for a child’s growth1and development. Under-nutrition, usually seen2

2

as slower than expected growth , can occur before

https://www.unicef.org/media/60806/file/SOWC-2019.pdf
http://www.who.int/childgrowth/standards/en/

Assessment
Number of death/affected people
54Behavioral change

3

Economic loss

2
1

Cost effectiveness

Environmental
friendliness

Level of application/penetration

Number of Death / Affected people
Economic Loss
Cost EffectivenessLevel of Application / Penetration
Environmental Friendliness
Behavioral Change

48

5
4
4
5
5
5

The concept significantly uplifted early childhood interventions in many countries.
Not only does it address critical nutrition needs of children, it also ensures healthy
population and workforce.
Early and comprehensive intervention is more cost effective than relying on emergency
feeding measures.
It has widespread application globally.
It has no negative impact to the environment, and it creates linkages of broader
environmental factors and nutrition deficiency.
It leads to comprehensive measures rather than tackling nutrition issue as a silo.

Era

Type

Stage

Before 1960s

Earthquake

Response

1960s

Flood

Recovery1970s

Typhoon/ Cyclone

Mitigation

1980s

TsunamiPreparedness

1990s

Volcano2000s

Landslides

2010s

OthersMost Relevant SDGs

DRR strategies often include adaptation to increasing disaster risks in the field of food security,
WASH and access to health services which also affect nutrition intake of the affected population.
As necessary building blocks for nutrition, they indirectly contribute to the nutrition status ofchildren and women of childbearing age by directly affecting the quantity and quality of food they
are eating (dietary intake) and health status (infectious disease). Therefore, nutritional deficiency
can not only be addressed with a feeding program, but through a holistic approach.
The focus on 1000 days since the birth has led to adoption of various initiatives that aim
to increase nutrition intake during early childhood. These include access to health services andrelated maternal and childcare practices that include health-seeking behavior linked to dietaryintake. They ensure, in addition to adequate amounts of food, a balanced and diverse diet withadequate nutrients. Access to quality health services also contributes to reducing the incidents
of infectious diseases and other health risks. For example, West Timor in Indonesia has a highprevalence of infectious disease which correlates with a very low proportion of households withaccess to protected wells or tap water and high rates of open defecation. Such conditions worsen
the stunting issue the country faces, and as a response, Indonesia has set out National Strategy
to Accelerate Stunting Prevention which targets pregnant mothers and children under the ageof 2 need to simultaneously access key services. These services include basic immunization,breastfeeding, dietary diversity, drinking water and sanitation, early childhood education,
food insecurity measurements where they live, and a birth certificate to make sure they arein the system. Convergence of these key services is low in Indonesia1. The renewed focus on‘first 1000 days’ of life is however increasingly contributing to enhance community resilienceagainst stunting and other forms of malnutrition, in lines with Sendai framework for disaster risk
reduction.

CHILDREN

How did it drastically change the existing DRR status and strategies?
How is it innovative?

Takeshi Komino, CWS Japan, Asian Disaster Reduction and Response Network (ADRRN)
1

https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2018/06/26/indonesia-fights-stunting-commitment-convergence-and-communities49

30 INNOVATIONS LINKING DRR WITH SDGs

EDUCATION
17. Technical Vocational Education and Training
18. Museums/Memorials for Disaster Risk Reduction
19. Thematic Incubation Centre for Higher Education in Disaster Risk Reduction

17Technical Vocational Education and Training

Technical and Vocational Education and Training

TVET can be linked to regional or national(TVET) aims to provide knowledge and skills toaccreditation framework that recognizes and certifies

individuals, organizations and the regional society

experts who are either already active players or thosethat enable them to facilitate inclusive andwho are aspiring to build a career in their relevant

sustainable socio-economic and environmental

fields. Formal qualifications benchmarked against

development. According to UNESCO, TVET comprises

international standards can ensure and further

formal, non-formal and informal learning, which

improve the quality of such training programs that

integrates all sectors of education, adult training andcould encourage professionals to further improve

lifelong learning so as to address regional, national,

their knowledge and skills.

individual, industry and community needs for social
development.

Assessment
Number of death/affected people
54Behavioral change

3

Economic loss

2
1

Environmental
friendliness

Cost effectivenessLevel of application/penetration

Number of Death / Affected people
Economic Loss
Cost EffectivenessLevel of Application / Penetration
Environmental Friendliness
Behavioral Change

52

4
4
4
4
5
4

While the program provides knowledge and skills that aim to reduce casualties form
disasters, it may take time to actually see the effects in the field.
Better capacity in disaster preparedness and response can reduce economic loss in caseof future disaster events.
Integrated approach of CCA/DRR can improve cost effectiveness of actual implementation.
Accreditation of PacTVET programs have significantly increased the level of penetration
at the regional level.
There is no negative impact on the environment.
Social behavioral change could take more time. However, the recognition of ‘resilience’as an industry in the Pacific will lend to the professionalization of practitioners.

Era

Type

Stage

Before 1960s

Earthquake

Response

1960s

Flood

Recovery1970s

Typhoon/ Cyclone

Mitigation

1980s

TsunamiPreparedness

1990s

Volcano2000s

Landslides

2010s

Others(Image Source: https://psd-tvet.de/wp/)

Most Relevant SDGs

How did it drastically change the existing DRR status and strategies?
How is it innovative?

EDUCATION

The Pacific Region is one of the most vulnerable regions in the world affected by bothhydrometeorological (cyclones, droughts, landslides, floods) and geological (volcanos,earthquakes, tsunamis) hazards. In 2016, the Pacific Island Forum Leaders adopted the
Framework for Resilient Development in the Pacific (FRDP) as the regional agenda for building
climate and disaster resilience. The lack of local capacity and expertise as well as absenceof professional training programs has been noted as one of the barriers for realizing the goals
mentioned in FRDP. In this light, the Pacific Technical and Vocational Education and Training on
Sustainable Energy and Climate Change Adaptation (PacTVET) was developed and implemented
with the objectives below.
● Assess national training needs in CCA/DRR and existing informal and formal training
courses.
● Develop and implement benchmarks, competency standards and courses on
Training of Trainers (ToT) and create a pool of national trainers.
● Develop and establish training courses and support facilities within TVET
institutions.
● Strengthen networking among CCA/DRM stakeholders.
PacTVET is jointly implemented by the Pacific Community (SPC) and University of South
Pacific (USP) and has developed and delivered regional qualifications accredited by the SPC’s
Educational Quality and Assessment Programme (EQAP). The programs do not only certify
existing practitioners and trainers, but also encourage students and young professionals to
become future leaders in the field of CCA/DRR. In line with FRDP, PacTVET has also beenoffering need-based and Pacific specific programs that integrate climate change and DRR issues.
Such approach can improve efficiency and effectiveness of CCA/DRR measures in which many
are known to be overlapping in activities and funding.
Dr. Shohei Matsuura, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)

53

18

Museums/Memorials for Disaster Risk Reduction

Numerous initiatives in Japan seek to raise disasterrecreate the look, feel and sound of post disasterawareness by preserving and passing on the lived

areas. They have also created libraries to collect,

experiences and lessons from disasters. Two of thepreserve and provide public access to photographic

most prominent museums dedicated to this goal are

and audio-visual documentation, artefacts andthe Tokyo Rinkai Disaster Park, and Kobe’s Great

footage. Storytellers are also present who provide

Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake memorial museum. Bothindividual accounts of what happened to them andmuseums have accumulated a wealth of information

their communities before and after the disaster.

about disaster preparedness and present it to

The key aim of these initiatives is to share disaster-

viewers in engaging, accessible and memorable

related lessons and encourage further discussions

formats. Through realistic recreations, the museums

and efforts for DRR.

Assessment
Number of death/affected people
54Behavioral change

3

Economic loss

2
1

Cost effectiveness

Environmental
friendliness

Level of application/penetration

Number of Death / Affected people
Economic Loss
Cost EffectivenessLevel of Application / Penetration
Environmental Friendliness
Behavioral Change

54

3
2
3
2
5
4

These initiatives help raise community awareness about disaster situations and promote
preparedness for future events.
They have limited impact on economic loss.
This approach is rather costly and needs external support, especially for developing
countries.
These initiatives are emerging as effective means of enhancing disaster preparedness;
however, their application is currently low.
There is no negative impact on environment.
It effectively leads to a certain level of behavioral change, however, the key challenge
remains for actual evacuation behavior.

Era

Type

Stage

Before 1960s

Earthquake

Response

1960s

Flood

Recovery1970s

Typhoon/ Cyclone

Mitigation

1980s

TsunamiPreparedness

1990s

Volcano2000s

Landslides

2010s

OthersMost Relevant SDGs

How did it drastically change the existing DRR status and strategies?
How is it innovative?

EDUCATION

In the wake of disasters, survivors repeat that they never thought they or their families could
be impacted, despite living in countries highly prone to natural hazards. Disaster awareness issurprisingly low even in countries like Japan where their occurrence is frequent and there arestrong investments in disaster preparedness and management. Initiatives such as museums andmemorials ensure that multiple experiences of disaster are catalogued and preserved and passed
on to future generations. These efforts help establish a culture of disaster preparedness, whereinpeople can share what happened to them, gain new knowledge about disasters and keep a recordof the city before and after the disaster.
Through museums, people who may have never lived through disasters can better
understand the viewpoint of the victims and their legacy. The importance of self-help and mutual
support emerged in the wake of the 1995 Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake when it was foundthat the overwhelming majority of people were rescued by ordinary citizens. These memorials
stimulate people’s ability to imagine it happening to them, and to better understand how theyshould prepare and what may be required of them should a disaster happen.
Numerous memorials and smaller museums have opened to remember the March 11, 2011
Great East Japan Earthquake like The Iwate Tsunami Memorial Museum, and the Minamihama
Connecting Hall. Initiatives such as ‘National Disaster Prevention Day’, are also held yearly inJapan, on September 1st, which draws crowds to memorialize the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake.
An array of programs such as the annual International Forum on Telling Live Lessons from
Disasters, festivals and seasonal events, emergency simulations and drills are organized throughgovernment, private sector, community members and non-profit organizations (NPOs) to instil
disaster preparedness and educate citizens on how to prepare.
Jessica Alexander, Independent Consultant

55

19

Thematic Incubation Centre for Higher Educationin Disaster Risk Reduction

The private sector is emerging as an importantalso create opportunities for active engagement

stakeholder in DRR and sustainability policies.

of private sector in disaster risk reduction. It also

Engaging the private sector as a part of the multi-

serves as an entrepreneur development center

stakeholder partnership is one of the key points

that helps new and startup ideas/ initiatives toof confluence in various global policy frameworks

develop by providing services such as management

including the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk

training, capital funding options and also handhold

Reduction, Sustainable Development Goals, Parisin providing other support in the initial phase

Declaration and The New Urban Agenda.

of a setup. The themes vary from disaster risk

Establishing an incubator within universities toreduction, safety, sustainable development, women

mentor and encourage future entrepreneurs helps

entrepreneurship, conflict and peace, heritage risk

translate these targets into meaningful actions andmanagement etc.

Assessment
Number of death/affected people
54Behavioral change

3

Economic loss

2
1

Environmental
friendliness

Cost effectivenessLevel of application/penetration

Number of Death / Affected people
Economic Loss
Cost EffectivenessLevel of Application / Penetration
Environmental Friendliness
Behavioral Change

56

4
5
5
3
5
5

The idea of thematic incubators is rather new; however it can provide innovative solutions
to decrease the number of people affected.
The incubation services create entrepreneurial wealth adding to economic prosperity.
It is very cost effective as one incubation center can create multiple economic avenues.
The incubation center for DRR is being set up in a few universities and institutes ofhigher education.
The incubation center creates ideas for environmental protection and sustainability.
The incubation center brings in the attitude of entrepreneurship in the people.

Era

Type

Stage

Before 1960s

Earthquake

Response

1960s

Flood

Recovery1970s

Typhoon/ Cyclone

Mitigation

1980s

TsunamiPreparedness

1990s

Volcano2000s

Landslides

2010s

OthersIncubation Centre: Women Entrepreneurship in Disaster Risk
Reduction: Mody University and RIKA India Pvt Ltd.

Most Relevant SDGs

How did it drastically change the existing DRR status and strategies?
How is it innovative?

EDUCATION

The incubator center mentors and trains young entrepreneurs to bring innovation into the fieldof disaster management and climate change through new products, services and by integrating
research into this process. This entails developing start-ups with business development andmarketing strategies, visibility of the product, linking and scaling opportunities in the DRR
domain. The incubator facilitates the conversion of research activity into entrepreneurial ventures.
The database of research can be accessed, customized, scaled, reinvented to provide actionable
innovative solutions for disaster risk reduction.
The incubator provides ‘Start to Scale ’ support for socio-economic and technology
entrepreneurship. It provides different functions at different stages. During the inception phase,brainstorming activities like hackathons and awareness workshops are undertaken. During theestablishment phase, mentoring, funding and technical support is provided. At the third stage
which is called sunset phase, global collaborations and funding from international sources ischanneled. It can further undertake capacity building programs like training programs for NGOs,
municipal offices and corporates to align their work with risk reduction, safety and resilience. It
also supports the MSMEs to learn and nurture their ideas, thereby building capacities at the local
level. Such support is essential for survivability of the entity in face of hardships due to disasters
and climate change, as well as to build on business opportunities on disaster risk reduction
approaches, tools, innovations.
An incubation center has already been launched at Mody University, a women’s university inIndia (Sikar, Rajasthan) in collaboration with Resilience Innovation Knowledge Academy (RIKA)
India Pvt Ltd. This incubation center aims at leadership and entrepreneurship for women in thefield of disaster risk reduction. It cuts the vulnerabilities at various levels by empowering the womenand increasing their number in the DRR sector. Further, such thematic incubators can be developed
aimed at various sustainability linked goals and also cater to specific social group of a society.
Ranit Chatterjee (ranit13@gmail.com), RIKA, India
Sukhreet Bajwa, (bajwa.sukhreet@gmail.com) RIKA, India andRajib Shaw (shaw@sfc.keio.ac.jp) Keio University, Japan

57

30 INNOVATIONS LINKING DRR WITH SDGs

AGRICULTURE
20. Floating Garden for Flood Risk Reduction
21. Multi-purpose Roof-top Garden
22. Digital Farming for Agricultural Sustainability
23. Sustainable Agriculture Kits for Terrace Agriculture

20

Floating Garden for Flood Risk Reduction

A floating garden is a type of hydroponics system,

is an indigenous knowledge-based innovation

which employs floating beds on the surface of waterfor overtaking environmental and climaticas the foundation for growing plants and crops

disadvantages. It dates back a few thousand years

without soil. The use of aquatic plants such as

in southern Bangladesh where it has sustainably

Tapapana, Dulalilata and Khudipana to constructgenerated goods and services. Over the years, thefloating beds dates back a few thousand years.

practice has undergone dynamic environmental

This traditional cultivation is an environment-

and socio-economic changes while adapting to thefriendly technique to utilize the natural resources

latest technologies of managing crops, selection ofof wetlands to grow vegetables and other crops

appropriate and tolerant varieties, and cultivation

almost all year-round. Preparation of the floating

techniques.

garden using aquatic plants of no economic value

Assessment
Number of death/affected people
54Behavioral change

3

Economic loss

2
1

Environmental
friendliness

Cost effectivenessLevel of application/penetration

Number of Death / Affected people
Economic Loss
Cost EffectivenessLevel of Application / Penetration
Environmental Friendliness
Behavioral Change

60

4
5
4
5
5
4

It can help to provide food in flood affected areas.
This strategy can increase economic benefit in low land areas.
Structures constructed with aquatic plants are cost effective.
It is highly affordable at community and national level.
It does not have any negative impact on environment.
It can make behavioral changes of the government and stakeholders.

Era

Type

Stage

Before 1960s

Earthquake

Response

1960s

Flood

Recovery1970s

Typhoon/ Cyclone

Mitigation

1980s

TsunamiPreparedness

1990s

Volcano2000s

Landslides

2010s

OthersMost Relevant SDGs

How did it drastically change the existing DRR status and strategies?
How is it innovative?
The floating garden is an environment-friendly cultivation system with or without soil where no
chemical fertilizers or pesticides are used. The floating bed technique does not require irrigation,
chemical fertilizers or pesticides cost but relies on labor to prepare the bed and to carry out otherintercultural operations (weeding, mulching etc.), which are half the cost compared to traditional
cultivation cost in land. The system has established a considerable diversity of crops which alignto the wetland ecosystem in monsoon and winter season as well as providing food and livelihood
security for local communities. Even in adverse situation like floods, farmers can grow seedlings,
seedlings and vegetables.
Every year, new floating beds need to be prepared for cultivation of crops and vegetables
in submerged lands during monsoon. After harvesting of vegetables in floating bed, farmers are

AGRICULTURE

vegetables, spices, etc. on the floating bed which ensures early market to get good price ofalso using these beds as organic fertilizers for their next cultivation in winter season. Just before
winter season, they break the old floating beds and mix these with the soil as organic fertilizers
for their next cultivation in winter season.
Floating garden technique does not require any such infrastructures as well as any further
capital investment. It is very cost effective, as most of the raw materials are free of cost andreadily available in the locality, although the preparation requires huge physical inputs. According
to a report by Ministry of Agriculture1, the productivity of floating vegetables cultivation isestimated to be ten times higher than on a similar sized land-based cultivation.
Md. Anwarul Abedin (masumagriculture@yahoo.com), Bangladesh Agriculture University
1

http://www.fao.org/3/a-bp777e.pdf

61

21

Multi-purpose Roof-top Garden

A rooftop garden is one that is situated on thegarden. About 60 varieties of fruits and vegetables

roof of a building. There are fascinating projects

are produced in Bangladesh but not all types canand initiatives on rooftop gardens throughout thebe produced on the rooftop. The types and mix areworld. One particular example is that of Singapore,chosen in the city depending upon individual andwhere inorganic hydroponics is considered as ahousehold food preferences, availability of seeds

more appropriate farming option than conventional

types that can be grown on the rooftop, climate

soil culture in the government housing buildings.

characteristics and availability of soils.2

They have higher yield, lower labour requirements
1

and need only lightweight systems, which can beeasily assembled over an existing roof 1. Flowers,

2

fruits, vegetables, medicinal, spices, condiments
and ornamental plants can be grown on rooftop

Safayet, M. et al. (2017). Present practice and future prospect of rooftop farmingin Dhaka city: A step towards urban sustainability.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jum.2017.12.001
Shariful Islam, K.M. (2004). Rooftop Gardening as a Strategy of Urban Agriculture
for Food Security: The Case of Dhaka City, Bangladesh.
https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2004.643.31

Assessment
Number of death/affected people
54Behavioral change

3

Economic loss

2
1

Cost effectiveness

Environmental
friendliness

Level of application/penetration

Number of Death / Affected people
Economic Loss
Cost EffectivenessLevel of Application / Penetration
Environmental Friendliness
Behavioral Change

62

3
5
3
3
5
5

It contributes to healthy environment and partially contributes in healthy food supply forthe households.
This strategy can significantly increase economic benefits.
Initially, it involves few infrastructures cost, then it is good to run.
It is only affordable for the people; who have suitable rooftop.
No negative impact on environment.
It can make behavioral changes of the government and stockholders.

Era

Type

Stage

Before 1960s

Earthquake

Response

1960s

Flood

Recovery1970s

Typhoon/ Cyclone

Mitigation

1980s

TsunamiPreparedness

1990s

Volcano2000s

Landslides

2010s

OthersMost Relevant SDGs

How did it drastically change the existing DRR status and strategies?
How is it innovative?
There are numerous benefits to a rooftop garden, most notably the increase in property value,
food production, carbon sequestration, and the improvements in air quality. The carbon
sequestration and air quality benefits are very insignificant for individual rooftop gardens,
however these benefits would be more meaningful if calculated for numerous roof gardens
covering a large portion of a city. Further, a portion of household demand for vegetables, fruits,
spices and condiments, flowers and aesthetic gratification could be fulfilled through the rooftop
garden. The practice of rooftop gardening is gaining increasing prominence at global level, as
market, due to the increasing use of hazardous pesticides and chemicals.
Agricultural lands surrounding the city areas are increasingly been converted to residential,commercial or industrial land uses for developmental purposes. Thus, it reduces the possibility to

AGRICULTURE

people are nowadays more anxious about the quality of fruits and vegetables bought from thegrow more and different agricultural food products in the periphery of urban areas. Additionally,
the increasing use of hazardous chemicals and inorganic fertilizers and pesticides. is increasing
health concerns in urban areas. To address these wide-ranging issues, the practice of rooftop
farming can serve as potential solution to enhance food security and public health. It canhelp to meet the growing food demands while reducing the household expenditure for buying
vegetable and fruit. It will also contribute to creating healthy atmosphere and low carbon society
by localizing the flow of food products.
Md. Anwarul Abedin (masumagriculture@yahoo.com), Bangladesh Agriculture University

63

22

Digital Farming for Agricultural Sustainability‘Digital farming’ technology developed in Japan

data about the crops for specific environmental

facilitates effective utilization of water andvariables like temperature, humidity, soil moisture

fertilizers, by utilizing state-of-the-art technologies

etc. is collected through the IoT platform based onlike sensors, The Internet of Things (IoT) andsoil and light sensors. The collected information

Artificial Intelligence (AI). It is based on theis then analyzed by employing AI which havetechnique of ‘Fertigation,’ originated in Israel.

accumulated knowhow of skilled cultivators to make‘Fertigation’ helps to reduce water consumption bydecisions about enhancing crop yields, reducing

using narrow pipes to add correct amount of water

water demands and producing quality crops. The

and fertilizer at the roots of the growing crops based

technology has wide-ranging potential as it is highlyon the nutrient deficiencies of plants. Real-time

efficient and labor saving.

Assessment
Number of death/affected people
54Behavioral change

3

Economic loss

2
1

Environmental
friendliness

Cost effectivenessLevel of application/penetration

Number of Death / Affected people
Economic Loss
Cost EffectivenessLevel of Application / Penetration
Environmental Friendliness
Behavioral Change

64

4
4
4
3
5
5

The technique is increasingly being practiced around the world to enhance agricultural
sustainability; however, the approach is still new.
Digital farming reduces the amount of water and fertilizer required for crop production
thereby reducing the economic loss.
Although the long-term benefits of this technique are very significant, the initial costs arehigh.
The technique has very high potential to enhance agricultural production, however thecurrent outreach is limited due to high costs.
Helps to reduce soil erosion, reduces the amount of water and fertilizer used, increases
the nutrients absorbed by the plants.
The technique offers new insights to the farmers that enhances their ability to makeinformed decisions and subsequently implement them.

Era

Type

Stage

Before 1960s

Earthquake

Response

1960s

Flood

Recovery1970s

Typhoon/ Cyclone

Mitigation

1980s

TsunamiPreparedness

1990s

Volcano2000s

Landslides

2010s

Others(Source: https://www.omanobserver.om/lonely-furrow-little-pay-dirtfor-organic-farming-in-japan/)

Most Relevant SDGs

How did it drastically change the existing DRR status and strategies?
How is it innovative?
The growing resource demands for water, energy, manpower etc. have become a serious concern
for agricultural sustainability worldwide. However, scientific and technological advances in recent
years present new possibilities for making agriculture more efficient and sustainable. Developed
countries like Japan are already employing new technologies in form of ‘Digital farming’ toensure sustainable utilization of available resources. The technique has provided an innovative
solution to Japan’s demographic challenges like rapidly aging population and labour shortage.
The advanced technologies have helped to improve agricultural production, reduce costs andIn the case of Miyagi Prefecture in Japan, seriously affected by the 2011 Tohoku
earthquake, digital farming has helped revitalize the strawberry production in a sustainable
manner. The technique has helped farmers to be more precise in their use of pesticides and

AGRICULTURE

facilitate a safer work environment.

fertilizers as well as mitigate certain environmental impacts. While the technique has alreadystarted to deliver results in Japan, it is also spreading to other countries like Vietnam, China andelsewhere in Asia1. The technique is expected to bring a huge change in future of agricultural
production as it demonstrates extreme potential even in areas with limited access to water.
In reference to the case of Miyagi Prefecture, digital farming provides technological solutions
not only to achieve Sustainable Development Goals but also to ‘Build Back Better’ in recovery,
rehabilitation and reconstruction as emphasized in the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk
Reduction. Against the changing climatic conditions, digital farming therefore has a wideranging potential for transforming agricultural production and ensuring resource utilization in asustainable manner around the world.
Vibhas Sukhwani (vibhassukhwani003@gmail.com), Keio University, Japan
Rajib Shaw (shaw@sfc.keio.ac.jp), Keio University, Japan1

https://www.japan.go.jp/technology/innovation/digitalfarming.html

65

23

Sustainable Agriculture Kits for Terrace Agriculture

Terraced agriculture was practiced for centuries

Nepal, such as aging population, poverty, illiteracy

by the Inca and the Mayan civilizations in Southand limited access to machinery and agricultural

America, who constructed terraces to have aservices. Under this project, low cost tools andnutrient-rich layer of soil on top of water-retaining

solutions were collected in a commercial menu

clay soils and a layer of stones, which providedof options from which farmers could choose todrainage for the system. The method is stillpurchase single or multiple items. The team utilized

being used for food production in several regions

existing distribution networks, such as agro-dealers,

in China, Nepal, Indonesia, Vietnam, and thefood and machinery traders, to effectively reach out

Philippines1. The Sustainable Agriculture Kits (SAK)to farmers.

project was initiated by a team in the University of1

Guelph to address the specific issues of farmers in

https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/what-is-terrace-farming.html

Assessment
Number of death/affected people
54Behavioral change

3

Economic loss

2
1

Environmental
friendliness

Cost effectivenessLevel of application/penetration

Number of Death / Affected people
Economic Loss
Cost EffectivenessLevel of Application / Penetration
Environmental Friendliness
Behavioral Change

66

3
4
5
3
5
4

Failed crops can lead to hunger and decreased public health in the communities.
This method enhances food production against floods and droughts, and ensures a more
steady income.
The method aims to ensure food security for the whole community and to provide an alternative to
expensive or labor-intensive solutions.
The initial stages of the project focused only on the farmers who needed assistance.
Scaling up will allow the method to reach more people.
The method improves soil quality and does not harm the local ecosystem. It alsoenhances yields and increases the amount of nutrients in plants.
Through this technique, farmers are able to enhance their productivity by regulating
which areas to remain dry and which ones to be moist. If not managed well, the systems
might get flooded during heavy rainfalls and result in dangerous mudslides.

Era

Type

Stage

Before 1960s

Earthquake

Response

1960s

Flood

Recovery1970s

Typhoon/ Cyclone

Mitigation

1980s

TsunamiPreparedness

1990s

Volcano2000s

Landslides

2010s

OthersMost Relevant SDGs

How did it drastically change the existing DRR status and strategies?
How is it innovative?

AGRICULTURE

The SAK project aimed to increase agricultural productivity, improve access to services andmarkets, improve nutrition, and inform policies. Initial consumer surveys were conducted tounderstand the most pressing needs and in which locations. Initial trials of the new approach also
took place, working with test farmers before scaling up to the larger area. Picture guidelines on
how to use the offered products and solutions were provided to those who did not have access to
education. The private sector was engaged in developing and distributing the tools and solutions
to the farmers at an affordable price.
A diagnostic system, the GlnLux, was developed by the University of Guelph to measure
the output of symbiotic nitrogen fixation in legumes in order to develop strategies for optimizing
yields and protein level in the grown vegetables for the purpose of improving nutrition in thecommunities. Simpler technological methods, such as using drip irrigation and water harvesting
ponds were also introduced to support farmers in times of prolonged droughts. At the end of thetest phase, a consumer feedback survey was conducted (through cell phones).1. This approachallowed for consumer needs assessment, testing, feedback and readjusting of the solutions to
select those methods which are most efficient and sustainable.
As climate change is threatening agriculture production, farmers around the world havestarted looking at innovative ways to enhance food production. Terraced farming allows fornutrients to flow from one level to the next, instead of being washed away during rainfalls, as well
as for retaining the water and using it for the production of water-intensive crops, such as rice.
Projects such as SAK are providing innovative means to facilitate terrace farming by proving lowcost solutions, while catering to different groups in the society irrespective of their educationlevels. This method also allows for improved preparedness in cases of droughts or floods.
Aleksandrina V. Mavrodieva (almavrodieva@gmail.com), Keio University, Japan
Rajib Shaw (shaw@sfc.keio.ac.jp), Keio University, Japan
1

Pudasaini et al. (2019). Innovations for Terrace Farmers in Nepal and Testing of Private Sector Scaling Up Using Sustainable Agriculture Kits andStall-Based Franchises: Final Report. IDRC.

67

30 INNOVATIONS LINKING DRR WITH SDGs

EARLY WARNING
24. Earthquake Guard: Earthquake Early Warning System
25. Water Battery for Flood Early Warning System
26. Flag-based Cyclone Early Warning System

24

Earthquake Guard: Earthquake Early Warning
SystemAdvances in science and technology havesoftware to distinguish between earthquake anddemystified the secrets of earthquakes. However,living noise generated near EQG, which prevents

their sudden occurrence leaves almost no time for

issuing of erroneous alert. EQG issues alert inpreparedness. This causes massive destruction in

multiple languages such as, Japanese, English,

terms of economic loss, human lives, infrastructural

Chinese, Korean, Indonesian, Persian, Turkish,damage etc.

Spanish, Portuguese, Russian and Arabic. It canWith intense research and development,

send signals to control the connected equipment

Challenge has launched Earthquake Guard

like broadcasting facility, elevator, production(EQG) which is an earthquake sensor alarm andfacility etc. in accordance with the estimatedequipment. The built-in accelerometer detects P

seismic intensity level of the earthquake. Its only

wave and issues earthquake alert before the arrival

requirements are internet and power source.

of strong shaking by S wave. EQG has a specialized

Assessment
Number of death/affected people
54Behavioral change

3

Economic loss

2
1

Environmental
friendliness

Cost effectivenessLevel of application/penetration

Number of Death / Affected people
Economic Loss
Cost EffectivenessLevel of Application / Penetration
Environmental Friendliness
Behavioral Change

70

4
3
3
3
5
5

Early Warning in earthquake leads to evacuation to safety leading to reduction in number ofpeople affected.
By shutting down critical infrastructure like gas, power, further risk of loss due to fire etc.
is minimized.
It is a medium cost solution but a great investment in DRR
It can be used in important instalments like schools, hospitals.
It is completely environmentally friendly causing no harm to the surroundings.
Earthquake early warning leads to timely response creating a culture of safety andresilience.

Era

Type

Stage

Before 1960s

Earthquake

Response

1960s

Flood

Recovery1970s

Typhoon/ Cyclone

Mitigation

1980s

TsunamiPreparedness

1990s

Volcano2000s

Landslides

2010s

OthersMost Relevant SDGs

How did it drastically change the existing DRR status and strategies?
How is it innovative?
A few seconds to a minute of advance earthquake warning allows people and systems to takeactions to protect life from an earthquake. The EQ guard can automatically shut down criticalinfrastructure like elevators, power, gas supplies and also stops the production line at factories.
This prevents the occurrence of cascading hazards. The automated early warning and publicbroadcast saves the crucial seconds in early warning dissemination and create scope for
evacuation to safety. It also displays the area map of the impact thereby guiding evacuees to thenearest safe location.
The earthquake guard is a great investment for important public places like schools,
hospitals, transport hubs and industrial production units. At community level, the EQ guard willallow the citizens the window of time to adequately taking action for safety, thus helping to createa culture of safety and informed decision making. Hence it strengthens the DRR capacities
active community participation into disaster governance through simulation drills and trainings.
It will also serve for achieving the targets of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction byenhancing community resilience and investment in resilience.

EARLY WARNING

at local levels by providing warnings at the site level. The installation of EQ guard will support

Sasaki Kazuo ksasaki@challengego.co.jp, Challenge Co. Ltd., Japan
Sukhreet Bajwa, (bajwa.sukhreet@gmail.com) RIKA, India
Ranit Chatterjee (ranit13@gmail.com), RIKA, India
Rajib Shaw (shaw@sfc.keio.ac.jp) Keio University, Japan

71

25

Water Battery for Flood Early Warning System

Floods are a recurrent phenomenon, which cause

the batteries generate electricity. The electricity

huge loss of life and damage to livelihood, property,

turns on the emergency evacuation signal lights

infrastructure and public utilities. To counter

indicating the community to take shelter in higher

the emerging climate-related flood risks, Waterand safe places. The lights signal different types

Batteries serve as an innovative solution for on-of warnings depending on the level of water. The

site automated early warning dissemination. Thesewater batteries can be installed in areas where thebatteries generate electricity when soaked inflooding risk is high for the communities residing

water. The mechanism is simple; when water levelnear rivers or canals. There is also a provision forrises, pre-set batteries gets soaked at the marked

data transmission system to the line agencies andflood level of river water table, and then soaked

concerned authorities.

Assessment
Number of death/affected people
54Behavioral change

3

Economic loss

2
1

Environmental
friendliness

Cost effectivenessLevel of application/penetration

Number of Death / Affected people
Economic Loss
Cost EffectivenessLevel of Application / Penetration
Environmental Friendliness
Behavioral Change

72

4
4
5
3
5
5

Timely Early Warning leads to evacuation to safety leading to reduction in number of people
affected.
Early Warning gives time for preparedness thereby reducing the extent of economic loss at
community and society level.
It is a low-cost solution for early warning and with low maintenance cost in comparison toother flood warning systems.
It can be used in rivers and canals in both urban and rural areas but its usage needs tobe more widespread.
It is completely environmentally friendly causing no harm to the surroundings.
Widespread usage of the early warning can lead to a culture of trust on early warning andtimely response as part of community behavior at large.

Era

Type

Stage

Before 1960s

Earthquake

Response

1960s

Flood

Recovery1970s

Typhoon/ Cyclone

Mitigation

1980s

TsunamiPreparedness

1990s

Volcano2000s

Landslides

2010s

OthersMost Relevant SDGs

How did it drastically change the existing DRR status and strategies?
How is it innovative?

EARLY WARNING

An effective early warning system can prevent physical and economic impacts of disasters thus
upholding the targets set forth by Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction. The water level
warning systems help to protect people from dangers of flood and also to achieve Sustainable
Development Goals by increasing awareness and reducing inequality in information access. It isa low-cost solution for providing timely early warning to the local residents, particularly in areas
where systematic early warning is not installed. It provides early warning at the community level
strengthening the last mile dissemination of risk information.
It is widely acknowledged that risk communication and information dissemination
components of early warning systems have not kept pace with the advancement in forecasting
technologies. While sophisticated systems for detection and monitoring of hazards have been
installed, the ‘last mile’ connectivity to the community at risk still depends upon manualsystems. On the other hand, at community level, factors like exposure to risks, community’srisk perception, time of warning dissemination, community’s trust in the warning messages andindividual’s last-minute pursuit of protection of assets together are possible contributing factors
for procrastination of early and positive action. With the use of water batteries, the warning firstreaches the local citizens where it is generated thereby increasing the community trust levels
on warning systems. The provision of data transmission also empowers the local self-governing
bodies with adequate risk information. The current system of warning levels is hierarchical withflood level monitoring agencies informing the higher officials and then information being passed
down to the last governing unit. The water batteries, however, provide the information at the siteof hazard without any time delay. It is a powerful tool to strengthen Community Based DRR. It
also has the potential to get imbibed in the local cultural practice of early warning and resilience.
Kishimoto T., Fujiwara N. Teijin Frontiers Co. Ltd., Japan
Sukhreet Bajwa, (bajwa.sukhreet@gmail.com) RIKA, India
Ranit Chatterjee (ranit13@gmail.com), RIKA, India
Rajib Shaw (shaw@sfc.keio.ac.jp) Keio University, Japan

73

26

Flag-based Cyclone Early Warning System

Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD)from BMD to the local communities by hoistinguses a number of signals, inherited from British

colored flags at important places like ports, cyclone

India, to indicate the severity of weather conditions.

shelters, public buildings etc. The whole range of

These signals were primarily meant for maritime

Maritime Port signals are demonstrated in forms

sailors and are therefore difficult to understandof three flags. The first flag (caution) corresponds

for local communities. To address this issue, thewith signal 1 to 3, second flag (danger) corresponds

Cyclone Preparedness Program (CPP) in Bangladeshwith signal 4 to 7 and the third flag (great danger)

introduced the Flag-based Early Warning Systems

corresponds with signal 8 to 111.

that simplifies communication of early warning
messages based on colored flags. Every time a1

cyclone approaches Bangladesh, CPP volunteers

https://reliefweb.int/report/bangladesh/field-discussion-guide-cyclone-earlywarning-procedures

communicate the early warning messages received

Assessment
Number of death/affected people
54Behavioral change

3

Economic loss

2
1

Environmental
friendliness

Cost effectivenessLevel of application/penetration

Number of Death / Affected people
Economic Loss
Cost EffectivenessLevel of Application / Penetration
Environmental Friendliness
Behavioral Change

74

4
3
5
3
5
5

Flag based Early Warning System (EWSs) are a newly developed means of risk
communication, however they are very effective.
Flag based EWSs provide adequate lead time for preparedness thereby saving human lives
and reducing the extent of economic loss.
It is a low-cost solution for communicating early warnings to disaster-prone communities,
in comparison to other flood warning systems.
Although, the method is highly efficient, it has certain limitations like limited visibility innight time that need to be overcome.
Flag-based EWSs are an environmentally friendly measure based on flags, causing noharm to the surroundings.
Simplified flag-based signals enhance the understanding of EWSs and therefore facilitate
timely response and adequate action.

Era

Type

Stage

Before 1960s

Earthquake

Response

1960s

Flood

Recovery1970s

Typhoon/ Cyclone

Mitigation

1980s

TsunamiPreparedness

1990s

Volcano2000s

Landslides

2010s

OthersMost Relevant SDGs

Figure: Colored flags and corresponding maritime port signals(Source: A good practice of CPP, Published by CPP in 2013)

How did it drastically change the existing DRR status and strategies?
How is it innovative?
Against the growing frequency and intensity of disasters, the timely communication of early
warning messages to all relevant stakeholders is important. Considerable progress has been
made in the ‘Monitoring and Forecasting’ technologies of EWSs, however the element of ‘risk
communication’ continues to hinder their effectiveness during disaster situations. Advanced
technologies today provide timely predictions of forthcoming disasters; however, these predictions
are not useful until and unless the information reaches the public in a simplified manner.
Factors like varying risk perception, language barriers, socio-economic conditions, illiteracy, poor
communication infrastructure etc. pose significant challenges to ensuring adequate actions by
the community members.
Flag-based EWSs introduced by CPP have proven to be an innovative method to bridge
the communication gap between scientific agencies and the vulnerable communities. Local
received through mobile phones and other electronic media, but flag-based risk communicationis enhancing the efficiency of EWSs. The simplified warning messages by local volunteers basedon colored flags helps reach the entire society irrespective of age, gender, literacy etc. as they
are easily understood and accessible, as also emphasized in the Sendai Framework for Disaster

EARLY WARNING

communities in Bangladesh may have a limited understanding of the complicated early warnings

Risk Reduction. In view of that, Flag based EWSs are effectively serving as an efficient and costeffective means to enhance disaster preparedness and management, especially in developing
countries where the implementation of hard-infrastructure based approaches may be constrained
due to limited resources.
Vibhas Sukhwani (vibhassukhwani003@gmail.com), Keio University, Japan
Rajib Shaw (shaw@sfc.keio.ac.jp), Keio University, Japan

75

30 INNOVATIONS LINKING DRR WITH SDGs

DISABILITY
27. Disability-inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction
28. Accessible and Universal Design Standards

27

Disability-inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction

There are approximately one billion people (15They are still largely unaccounted for in mostpercent of the world’s population), who experiencedisaster risk reduction (DRR) plans and policies

some form of disability, of whom 2-4 percent

in many places. Despite being a highly vulnerable

experience significant difficulties in functioning

group, the specific needs, concerns and capacities

1(WHO ). Eighty percent of these people liveof persons with disabilities are often ‘invisible’in developing countries, according to the UN

and not appropriately integrated into disaster risk

2

management activities.

Development Program . Women with disabilities
experience multiple disadvantages and exclusions,due to both their gender and their disability(Disabled World). Recent research has shown that1

https://www.who.int/disabilities/world_report/2011/report/en/2

https://www.un.org/development/desa/disabilities/resources/factsheet-onpersons-with-disabilities.html

people with disabilities are four times more likely
to die in a disaster than people without disabilities.

Assessment
Number of death/affected people
54Behavioral change

3

Economic loss

2
1

Environmental
friendliness

Cost effectivenessLevel of application/penetration

Number of Death / Affected people
Economic Loss
Cost EffectivenessLevel of Application / Penetration
Environmental Friendliness
Behavioral Change

78

5
1
1
1
1
3

The outmost aim of Disability-inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction (DiDRR) is to reduce thenumber of deaths from disasters.
Economic loss is not yet considered in DiDRR.
Cost effectiveness is not yet considered in DiDRR.
While there is global recognition on this, only few most vulnerable countries are beginningto consider DiDRR.
Environmental friendliness is not yet considered in DiDRR.
While there is global recognition on this, only few most vulnerable countries are beginningto consider DiDRR. However, behavioral change will be greatly achieved if DiDRR is
implemented.

Era

Type

Stage

Before 1960s

Earthquake

Response

1960s

Flood

Recovery1970s

Typhoon/ Cyclone

Mitigation

1980s

TsunamiPreparedness

1990s

Volcano2000s

Landslides

2010s

OthersMost Relevant SDGs

How did it drastically change the existing DRR status and strategies?
How is it innovative?
Considerable progress on disability inclusion in DRR policy has been made in the recent years.
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), signed
in 2007, promotes the full integration of persons with disabilities in societies. The Incheon
Strategy 2013-2022 to ‘Make the Right Real’ for Persons with Disabilities in Asia and thePacific was launched in late 2012 to chart the new course of action for the Asian and Pacific
Decade of Persons with Disabilities. The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (SFDRR)
2015-2030 also mandates the inclusion of people with disabilities in DRR, a significant stride
forward in terms of promoting the rights of people with disabilities at the international level.
In the SFDRR, persons with disabilities were referenced both directly and indirectly as partof the preamble, the guiding principles, the priorities for action, and the role of stakeholders.
Specifically, the formation of Disability inclusive DRR Network (DiDRRN), is notable in Asiaand the Pacific. In the Philippines, Disabled Persons‘ Organizations build advocacy networks
for Disaster Risk Management (DRM). In Indonesia, there is joint advocacy towards a disability
inclusive DRR policy. The theme for 2013 of the International Day for Disaster Reduction (13October) is Living with disabilities and disasters. Moreover, the key principles to inclusive disasterrisk management include: ENABLING persons with disabilities to take up active roles as DRM
actors, ENGAGING persons with disabilities in DRM efforts, EXTENDING the leverage throughRiyanti Djalante (DJALANTE@unu.edu) , United Nation University (UNU-IAS), JapanDISABILITY

joint advocacy efforts towards inclusive DRM.

79

28

Accessible and Universal Design Standards

Universal access refers to the ability of all people

The seven principles of Universal Design

to have equal opportunity and access to a service or

include: 1) Equitable Use, 2) Flexibility-in-

product, regardless of social class, ethnicity, ancestry

Use, 3) Simple and Intuitive Use, 4) Perceptibleor physical disabilities. Universal design is the design

Information, 5) Tolerance for Error, 6) Low Physicalof products and environments to be usable by all

Effort, and 7) Size and Space for Approach

people, to the greatest extent possible, without theand Use. There are in addition eight goals forneed for adaptation or specialized design. Practically,

universal design namely, 1) Body Fit, 2) Comfort,

it is about the design of buildings, products or3) Awareness, 4) Understanding, 5) Wellness,environments to make them accessible to all people,

6) Social Integration, 7) Personalization, and 8)

regardless of age, disability or other factors.

Cultural Appropriateness.

Assessment
Number of death/affected people
54Behavioral change

3

Economic loss

2
1

Environmental
friendliness

Cost effectivenessLevel of application/penetration

Number of Death / Affected people
Economic Loss
Cost EffectivenessLevel of Application / Penetration
Environmental Friendliness
Behavioral Change

80

5
1
1
1
1
3

The outmost aim of Accessible and Universal Design Standards (AUDS) is to reduce thenumber of deaths from disasters.
Economic loss is not yet considered in AUDS.
Cost effectiveness is not yet considered in AUDS.
While there is global recognition on this, only few most vulnerable countries are beginningto consider AUDS as part of their DRR strategies.
Environmental friendliness is not yet considered in AUDS.
While there is global recognition on this, only few most vulnerable countries are beginningto consider AUDS. However, behavioral change will be greatly achieved if AUDS is
implemented.

Era

Type

Stage

Before 1960s

Earthquake

Response

1960s

Flood

Recovery1970s

Typhoon/ Cyclone

Mitigation

1980s

TsunamiPreparedness

1990s

Volcano2000s

Landslides

2010s

Others
Source: https://www.behance.net/gallery/Universal-Design-Infographic-/11242185

Most Relevant SDGs

How did it drastically change the existing DRR status and strategies?
How is it innovative?
The infusion of disability-related terms and concepts such as accessibility, inclusion, anduniversal design was significant throughout the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction.
During disaster response, persons with a disability are often excluded from accessing
emergency support and essential services such as food distribution, medical care, shelter andwater, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) facilities. The inclusion of ‘Accessible and Universal
Design Standards’ (AUDS) into post-disaster response work contributes towards a barrier-freeenvironment and an inclusive society. It ensures the design and composition of an environment
so that it can be accessed, understood and used to the greatest extent possible by all people
regardless of their age, size, ability or disability. Accessibility audits and assessments by people
with disabilities could be streamlined in the building permit issuance process to identify practicaldesign solutions. Seismic retrofitting programs could address risk mitigation other standards
including safety and disability access.
Disasters provide an opportunity to build back better, safer and more accessible for all.
They also offer the possibility to incorporate universal design principles into new construction.
At city level, it is proposed that a ‘placemaking’ approach with universal design principles need
to be adopted. City-makers should work collaboratively with communities including people of
all abilities, genders, and ages, when designing public spaces to accommodate their needs andcould facilitate design ‘charrettes’ (collaborative design workshops) with disability and othergroups to promote inclusive universal design practices.

DISABILITY

strengthen links between diverse population groups. Cities that are rebuilding after disasters

Riyanti Djalante (DJALANTE@unu.edu) , United Nation University (UNU-IAS), Japan

81

30 INNOVATIONS LINKING DRR WITH SDGs

LIVELIHOOD
29. Ecosystem-based Disaster Risk Reduction
30. A Nexus Approach toward Climate Change, Food Security, and Livelihoods

29

Ecosystem-based Disaster Risk Reduction

Ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction (Eco-are central to disaster risk reduction for five main

DRR) is the sustainable management, conservation

reasons: 1) they serve as a source of livelihood, 2)

and restoration of ecosystems to provide services

they provide protection against natural disasters,that reduce disaster risk by mitigating hazards and3) healthy environment is more resilient to natural

1

by increasing livelihood resilience . Ecosystem

hazards, 4) disasters degraded ecosystems, and 5)

services are broadly categorized into 4 functions

scarce environmental resources often contribute tonamely: 1) provisioning services such as theconflicts and human insecurity2.

production of food and water, 2) regulating services

1such as the control of climate and disease, 3)2supporting services such as nutrient cycles andhttp://www.env.go.jp/en/nature/asia-parks/pdf/wg2/APC_WG1-06_Radhika%20
Murti.pdf
https://www.iucn.org/ja/node/24786

oxygen production, and 4) cultural services, suchas spiritual and recreational benefits. Ecosystems

Assessment
Number of death/affected people
54Behavioral change

3

Economic loss

2
1

Cost effectiveness

Environmental
friendliness

Level of application/penetration

Number of Death / Affected people
Economic Loss
Cost EffectivenessLevel of Application / Penetration
Environmental Friendliness
Behavioral Change

84

5
5
5
3
5
5

The presence of ecosystems can greatly help to reduce number of deaths / affected
people.
Economic loss can be strongly prevented with the presence and protection of theecosystems.
Ecosystem-based DRR approach can be cost effective due to the multiplier effects itbrings through CCA, livelihoods, culture, economy.
Environmental degradation is globally occurring. While nature-based solutions such as
eco-based DRR is emerging, it is only implemented partially.
This approach utilize nature at its core.
There is global movement on putting nature at the center of global environmental change,marked by the United Nations General Assembly declaring 2021–2030 the UN Decadeon Ecosystem Restoration.

Era

Type

Stage

Before 1960s

Earthquake

Response

1960s

Flood

Recovery1970s

Typhoon/ Cyclone

Mitigation

1980s

TsunamiPreparedness

1990s

Volcano2000s

Landslides

2010s

OthersMangrove as one of the Super Solutions toward Disaster Risk Reduction,
Climate Change Adaptation, Livelihood and Biodiversity.
(Source: UNEP)

Most Relevant SDGs

How did it drastically change the existing DRR status and strategies?
How is it innovative?
Well-managed ecosystems, such as wetlands, forests and coastal systems have multiple benefits.
They act as natural infrastructure, reducing physical exposure to multiple hazards and increasingsocio-economic resilience of people and communities by sustaining local livelihoods andproviding essential natural resources such as food, water and building materials. The degradationof these ecosystems are a major driver of disaster risk and a key component of disaster
vulnerability.
Maintaining the health and resilience of key ecosystems enhances disaster resilience. In
recovery operations, strengthening environmental management and addressing environmental
risks can be used as opportunity to build back better. In the context where conflict over natural
resources is high, environmental protection and restoration are important on top of crisis
prevention.
Mangrove rehabilitation and coral reef restoration have been the two most well-known
examples of Eco-DRR. Mangroves along coastal areas provide physical protection from storms
and act as carbon reservoirs. They also provide a resource base for local livelihoods and income
generation. For example, the Sundarbans region along the coast of India and Bangladesh
has the largest expanse of contiguous mangrove forests in the world, stretching for 10,000
square kilometers. Aside from coastal protection, the mangroves in the Sundarbans provide
nursery habitat for fish and other animals and support other important ecosystem services.
The Sundarbans are prone to severe cyclones and storm surges. Eco-DRR measures in the
Sundarbans include protection and management of mangrove ecosystems, reducing theirvulnerability to climate change and sea level rise and enabling this highly populated area to

Riyanti Djalante (DJALANTE@unu.edu) , United Nation University (UNU-IAS), JapanLIVELIHOOD

benefit from coastal protection.

85

30

A Nexus approach toward Climate Change,
Food Security and Livelihoods

Pacific island countries are particularly vulnerable

agriculture, climate change and human societies.

to climate change due to their geographical

It can help to minimize trade-offs and potential

positioning and socio-economic characteristics.

conflicts between human societies and natural

Almost 80 percent of the population relies onenvironment. It can serve for maximizing benefits

agriculture and fisheries as sources of livelihoodsby enhancing efficiency in agriculture and fisheries

and food security. Countries in the Pacific must

sectors in the countries they serve, and hencebuild holistic resilience to climate change andminimizing the negative impacts of climate change

consider the interlinkages between climate

on the food security and economic livelihood.

change, food security and livelihoods.

Agricultural adaptation practices include improved
crop management and increased investment in

The nexus approach takes into consideration

agricultural research and extension.

the interrelatedness and interdependencies ofAssessment
Number of death/affected people
54Behavioral change

3

Economic loss

2
1

Environmental
friendliness

Cost effectivenessLevel of application/penetration

Number of Death / Affected people
Economic Loss
Cost EffectivenessLevel of Application / Penetration
Environmental Friendliness
Behavioral Change

86

1
5
5
1
5
1

The Nexus approach does not deal with reduction of number of deaths.
The nexus approach put livelihood in its core which is strongly relevant in reducing the
economic loss especially at the community level.
Cost effectiveness is ensured since the Nexus approach looks are maximizing synergy
and minimizing trade-offs.
The Nexus approach is only new, introduced in early 2010s.
Environmental friendliness is ensured when maximizing outputs from water, food andlivelihood.
The Nexus approach does not deal directly with behavioral change.

Era

Type

Stage

Before 1960s

Earthquake

Response

1960s

Flood

Recovery1970s

Typhoon/ Cyclone

Mitigation

1980s

TsunamiPreparedness

1990s

Volcano2000s

Landslides

2010s

OthersMost Relevant SDGs

The Nexus approach between water, energy, food and livelihood(Source: Biggs et al., 2015 1 )1Biggs et al. (2015) Sustainable development and the water–energy–foodnexus: A perspective on livelihoods.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2015.08.002

How did it drastically change the existing DRR status and strategies?
How is it innovative?
The nexus approach provides a comprehensive and integrated assessment of the key sectors
subjected to disasters and climate change. It can be applied at multiple spatial scales andinstitutional levels and enhance policymaking for sustainable development agendas. International
agencies are utilizing this approach in their programming throughout the Pacific Island states.
As for example, The World Bank and The Asian Development Bank, through their program on
Climate Change, Food Security, and Socioeconomic Livelihood in Pacific Islands1, examines
strategies to minimize trade-offs and maximize resources. Further, the FAO project on Climate
Change and Food Security in the Pacific Island states2 examines strategies to address foodsecurity and poverty reduction in the face of climate change and energy security. It attempts tobring to the core, food security threats associated with climate change in food production andsupply environments, as well as the broader livelihood and ecological changes that will occur as aconsequence.
Riyanti Djalante (DJALANTE@unu.edu), United Nation University (UNU-IAS), Japan
Morgan Wairiu, The University of the South Pacific, Fiji
1
2

https://www.adb.org/sites/default/files/publication/175046/climate-change-food-security-pacific.pdf
http://www.fao.org/tempref/docrep/fao/012/i1262e/i1262e00.pdf

LIVELIHOOD
87

Summary of survey result

Summary of survey results: 30 Innovations under 10 sectors
The online survey related to the 30 Innovations for DRR publication was conducted from 9th January to 25th
January 2019. In total, 200 responses were received from 32 different countries around the world. The
respondents for the online survey comprised of mixed representation from all age and gender groups. The
breakdown of their affiliation is as follows: University / Research Institute (93), Government (48), NGOs (28),
Private sector (19), International organizations (6), and others (6). One of the key questions in the online
survey asked participants to select three most effective innovations from the total 30 Innovations categorizedunder 10 sectors. The top ten innovations selected by the survey respondents were as follows:

Top Ten Innovations

Sector

1. Ecosystem-based Disaster Risk Reduction (Eco-DRR)

Livelihood

2. Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM)

Water

3. Earthquake Guard: Earthquake Early Warning System

Early warning

4. A Nexus approach toward climate change, food security, and livelihoods Livelihood
5. Nationalized Cluster Coordination Mechanism

Emergency response

6. Green Infrastructure

Water

7. Mobile clinics

Health

8. My timeline: Optimizing emergency evacuation per household

Emergency response

9. Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET)

Education

10. Disability-inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction (Di-DRR)

Disability

The ten most effective DRR innovations identified

environmental and Institutional context that varies

from the online survey are from seven different

in different countries. The sectors of Livelihood,sectors of Livelihood (Eco-DRR and Nexus approach),

Water and Emergency Response were found to

Water (IWRM and Green Infrastructures), Early

have multiple representation in ten most effective

Warning (Earthquake Guard), Emergency Response

innovations of DRR. On other hand, three specific(Nationalized Cluster Coordination Mechanism andsectors of Agriculture, Children and Gender were

My Timeline), Health (Mobile Clinics), Education

found to be comparatively less recognized, as they

(TVET) and Disability (Di-DRR). While Eco-DRR

did not make it to top ten. This underlines that DRR

and Nexus approach have recently gained global

innovations are varyingly recognized and community

prominence in the wake of climate change, it isperception plays an important role. While, innovations

particularly interesting to note that the significancelike Digital farming are demonstrated to be highlyof Disability-inclusive DRR has also been widely

efficient and labor saving in Agriculture sector, it

recognized through this survey. Markedly, most of theis evident from the survey results that their global

ten DRR innovations are closely linked to Sustainable

outreach is limited, and it is not widely recognized.

Development Goals (SDGs), that highlights the key

Accordingly, more emphasis should be given torole of sustainability aspects in DRR innovations.

developing DRR innovations in these least recognized

It is important to understand that theeffectiveness of these innovations is based on

sectors, as well as enhancing their public outreachand wider impact around the world.

several factors depending on the social, economic,

91

Appendix

Acknowledgement
We would like to extend our deepest gratitude to everyone who responded to the second survey on
the innovations for DRR. Furthermore, we greatly appreciate the tremendous contributions of Ms.
Jessica Alexander and Ms. Sayaka Kobayashi, who helped make this publication more professional,
attractive, and meaningful. Without their efforts, this publication would not have been possible.

94

Project team

Takako Izumi
Associate Professor, International Research Institute of Disaster Science (IRIDeS),
Tohoku University
She also serves as Program Director of the Multi Hazards Program under the Association of Pacific Rim Universities(APRU), which comprises 50 universities and academic institutes in the Pacific Rim. Her research interests include
international and regional frameworks/strategies for disaster risk reduction (DRR), international humanitarianassistance, and DRR initiatives at the local and community levels. She was appointed as a member of UNISDR’s
Asia Science Technology and Academia Advisory Group (ASTAAG) in May 2015.
Previously she worked for an international NGO in Malaysia and UN agencies such as UN Habitat, UN
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), and UN Office for the Recovery Coordinator for
Ache and Nias (UNORC) to assist the recovery efforts after the Indian Ocean Tsunami. She holds Ph.D. in Global
Environmental Study from Kyoto University, Japan.

Rajib Shaw
Professor, Graduate School of Media and Governance, Keio University

He is also the Senior Fellow of Institute of Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) Japan, and the Chairpersonof SEEDS Asia and CWS Japan, two Japanese NGOs. Earlier, he was the Executive Director of the Integrated
Research on Disaster Risk (IRDR) and was a Professor in Kyoto University. His expertise includes disastergovernance, community-based disaster risk management, climate change adaptation, urban risk management,
and disaster and environmental education. Professor Shaw is the Chair of the United Nations Science Technology
Advisory Group (STAG) for disaster risk reduction; and also the Co-chair of the Asia Science Technology
Academic Advisory Group (ASTAAG). He is also the CLA (Coordinating Lead Author) for Asia chapter of IPCC’s 6th
Assessment Report. He is the editor-in-chief of the Elsevier’s journal “Progress in Disaster Science”, and series
editor of a Springer book series on disaster risk reduction. Prof. Shaw has published more than 45 books and over
300 academic papers and book chapters.

Mikio Ishiwatari
Visiting Professor, Graduate School of Frontier sciences,
The University of Tokyo
He is also Senior Advisor on Disaster Management and Water Resources Management at Japan International
Cooperation Agency. He has been engaged in the projects and research works of DRR, climate change adaptation,
and water. He led formulation of the Japanese assistance policies of climate change adaptation and communitybased disaster management.
He worked at the World Bank as Senior Disaster Risk Management Specialist and Senior Water Specialist. He
worked at various positions at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport, Japan for 17 years. He formulated
and supervised national projects of flood risk management and highways in Iwami District as Director of Hamada
River and Road Office, and was responsible for research and technology development as Senior Deputy Director forRiver Technology and Information. He worked as Urban Development Specialist at the Asian Development Bank. He
holds a PhD in international studies and MSc in Urban Engineering from the University of Tokyo.

95

Project teamRiyanti Djalante
Academic Programme Officer, The United Nations University,
Institute for the Advances Study of Sustainability (IAS).
She coordinates the Research and Policy Development stream on Global Change and Resilience, which conduct
researches to address climate change, build community resilience, and reduce disaster risks. She is the Lead
Author of IPCC Assessment Report 6 Working Group II, IPCC Special Report on impacts of 1.5 degree warming,and the Global Environmental Outlook 6 of the UN Environment. She is the scientific editor of the Journal of
Sustainability Science and Progress in Disaster Science Journal. Her current appointments include a member of
the Scientific Committee of the IRDR, research fellow of the Earth System Governance Network (ESG), Social
Science Fellow of the International Council for Science (ICS). She is the UNU focal point to the UNISDR.
Previously, she worked as a Research Associate at the UNU Institute of Environment and Human Security inGermany. She also worked for the government in Indonesia accumulatively for ten years.

Takeshi Komino
General Secretary of CWS Japan

Takeshi Komino serves as Secretary General and a member of Executive Committee for Asian Disaster Reduction
and Response Network (ADRRN), and Regional Steering Group member of World Humanitarian Summit (WHS). In
addition, he is co-chairperson of Japan Platform (JPF), joint secretariat of Japan CSO Coalition for DRR (JCC-DRR),
chairperson of Japan Quality and Accountability Network (JQAN). He graduated from Doshisha University, and holds
Development Studies M.A. from Brandeis University.

96Project teamVibhas Sukhwani
PhD Student, Graduate School of Media and Governance, Keio University, Japan

He is a recipient of prestigious Japanese Government Monbukagakusho (MEXT) Scholarship. In Keio University, he has
been engaged in several research projects related to disaster risk reduction and community resilience. He is also a memberof India Japan Laboratory that has recently been established in Keio University to undertake cutting edge bilateral /multilateral research on different issues related to India, Japan and beyond. He has published several journal papers andhas also presented his research at numerous International conferences around the world. His current areas of researchinterest are urban-rural linkages, water security, resilience studies, socio-ecological systems and smart developments.
Previously, he has worked as a Research Associate at Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology (VNIT),
India under a project funded by START International Inc., USA. With Civil Engineering background, he hascompleted Master’s in Urban Planning from (VNIT), India.

Bismark Adu Gyamfi
PhD Student, Graduate School of Media and Governance, Keio University, Japan

He is currently pursuing a PhD study in Keio University Graduate School of Media and Governance, Japan.
His research interest includes Resilience Ecology, Landuse and Urban Planning, Smart City and Mobilities. He
graduated from Keio University with Master’s in Media and Governance and has a background in Urban Planning.
He has been involved in a number of JICA assisted projects in urban and land use planning in mostly Africa andSoutheast Asia.

97