APRU Multi-Hazards Program

Takako Izumi
Program Director, MH Program
Associate professor, Tohoku University, Japan1

APRU Multi-Hazards Program• Established in April 2013. IRIDeS, Tohoku University hosts its Secretariat andprovides the coordination and administrative services.
• The Core Group (12 members from UC Davis, Univ. of Hawaii, Univ. of Chile,Chulalongkorn Univ. , National Taiwan Univ. , Univ. of Philippines, Tsinghua
Univ., and Tohoku Univ.) is a driving force and decision making body.

Main Objectives:• Harness the collective capabilities of APRU
universities for cutting-edge research on DRR• Contribute to the international and regional
discussions to make an influence in a DRR
policy making process.

What impact the MH program made in the past year
RESEARCH： encouraging collaborative researches
1. Book: Science and Technology in DRR in Asia: Papers
based on the abstracts presented at the APRU MH
Symposium in 2016 at Kyoto University. It covers new
research on the role of science in DRR and lessons
learned when research has been applied
2. A new international journal: Progress in DisasterScience (Elsevier)3. 30 innovations for disaster risk reduction / 30
innovations linking DRR with SDGs
EDUCATION: sharing experience and knowledge basedon the experience of the Great East Japan Earthquakeand Tsunami
1. MH Summer school: Nearly 50 students and faculty
learned about the GEJE recovery and international
DRR strategy.
2. MH annual research symposium : Hosted by a APRU
member university. University of Indonesia will hostthe one in 2021.
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Scope: Why is this journal unique?
The journal will emphasize on:1) Holistic perspective on
disaster research
2) Highlighting the overviews,
case studies, and challenges
regarding theimplementation of theSendai Framework3) Multi-stakeholder andimplementation orientedresearch4What impact the MH program made in the past year
NEW COLLABORATION WITH PRACTITIONERS: strengthening thecollaboration between academia and practitioners/policy makers
MOU between International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent(IFRC) and APRU:✓ Policy dialogue and advocacy in relevant forums and key events.
✓ Cross-collaboration to co-host events or invite one of the parties
to events led by other one.
CONTRIBUTION TO INTERNATIONAL DISCUSSION: bringing up theacademic perspectives and voices to the discussions at higher levels1.
2017 Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) early warning system
workshop (Sendai, Japan): NASA, UC Davis, IRIDeS
2.
Data Science Workshop hosted by UC Davis in 20193.
UN Global Platform on DRR (Geneva): the MH program organized
two sessions: 1) Launch of Progress in Disaster Science and 2) 30
innovations for DRR.
NEW INITIATIVE:
Architecture and Urban Design for Disaster Risk Reduction and Resilience(ArcDR3): led by UCLA and IRIDeS. establish an international platform forthe production and exchange of knowledge on environmental design that
reduces the disaster risk and enhance resilience collaboration with 11universities
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Objectives:

Campus Safety Program• Strengthen the disaster preparedness capacity on campus including different
types of hazards not only natural but also biohazard, chemical hazard, etc• Promote its importance at the international and regional levels

Activities:• A survey on the current disaster preparedness status was conducted among the APRU
universities• The Campus Safety Workshop was held at IRIDeS, Tohoku University in February 2016
to share their experience and discuss how to overcome the challenges• Collecting case studies of disaster response and recovery including the experience ofCOVID 19 pandemicUniversities need to develop anadequate disaster management
plan for responding to andrecovering from any damage
One of the recommended actions in theoutcome document from the UNISDR Asia
Science & Technology Conference on DRR

The MH program continues to:• strengthen the research capacity of the APRU member universities indisaster science• provide a learning opportunity for students and faculty members.
• work with other stakeholders such as practitioners, governments andthe private sector to make the best use of the research outcomes inpractice• share scientific evidence for policy making