Chapter 44
Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction and theGlobal Centre for Disaster Statistics
Field of expertise: International Policy for Disaster Risk Reduction

Yuichi OnoSummary
Each country needs to develop a statistical system to monitor disaster loss and damage, but few
countries, including developed countries, have such a system in place. Therefore, the International
Research Institute of Disaster Science (IRIDeS) at Tohoku University established the Global
Centre for Disaster Statistics in April 2015 to support the development of disaster loss and damage
statistics, mainly in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Thischapter reviews the activities of the Centre and summarizes the prospects for future activities.
Keywords: United Nations World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction, Sendai Framework for
Disaster Risk Reduction, disaster statistics, United Nations Development Programme, SDGs, ParisAgreement

Introduction
The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction is an official document adopted by theUnited Nations at the Third United Nations World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction onMarch 18, 2015. It is valid for 15 years, until 2030, which is five years longer than its predecessor,
the Hyogo Framework for Action (2005-2015). The SDGs were adopted at the UN Summit in New
York in September 2015, six months after the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction wasadopted. Three months later, in December, the UN adopted the Paris Agreement, which iseffective from 2020.

1: Three International Agendas Related to Disaster Risk Reduction in 2015
These three international frameworks/agendas are closely interconnected. Both climatechange mitigation and adaptation approaches are essential for disaster risk reduction as well,since disasters are expected to intensify due to the effects of climate change. Disaster risk
reduction is essential for achieving the SDGs because the human and economic losses caused bymajor disasters that occur once every hundreds of years and minor disasters that occur over andover again hinder sustainable development and social progress. Although it is now a matter ofcourse, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the predecessor of the SDGs adopted in
2000, did not include disaster risk reduction. The Hyogo Framework for Action, on the other hand,1was ambiguously written on the relationship between climate change and disaster risk reduction
because some countries were skeptical of it.

2: Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction
The matters on which Japan's diplomacy should lead the world would be peace, nuclear
disarmament, and disaster risk reduction. What happened after World War II, when much of thecountry was turned into scorched earth and all activities were stagnant because of the priority
given to military spending? Looking at the disaster loss and damage statistics after the defeat, it isclear that major disasters occurred frequently. With many major cities located on alluvial plains andat high risk of flooding and earthquakes, disaster risk reduction was an unavoidable and urgent
issue for Japan in order to rebuild its economy after the war. This was because stable economic
development could not be expected if windstorms and floods such as the Toyamaru and Ise Bay
typhoons, which caused extensive damage, were frequent. The Basic Plan for Emergency
Preparedness, enacted after the Ise Bay typhoon, is of course a domestic law, but its DNA can beseen in the Yokohama Strategy adopted at the first United Nations World Conference on Disaster
Reduction in Yokohama in 1994, where Japan served as host country, and has been passed downin the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction.
These international disaster risk reduction frameworks are, simply put, internationalguidelines and prescriptions for disaster risk reduction. What should be done to reduce human andeconomic loss and damage, and how can socioeconomic development be expected to result fromthis? Table 44-1 shows a comparison of the three international disaster risk reduction frameworks.
One of the features of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction is that it sets sevenglobal targets (Table 44-2).
Table 44-1. Comparison among International Frameworks for Disaster Risk Reduction

In addition, Build Back Better was also specified among the priorities in Sendai, the site of theGreat East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami. The importance of investment in disaster risk
reduction was also pointed out, as the concentration of population and overdevelopment due torapid urbanization, combined with the effects of climate change, will increase the risk of disasters.
Other new points include the clarification of the relationship between disasters and health, theinclusion of epidemics, and the importance of sustaining livelihoods in addition to protecting lives
from disasters in relation to the SDGs.

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Table 44-2. Seven global targets of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction

3: Global Centre for Disaster Statistics
The International Research Institute of Disaster Science (IRIDsS) welcomed the 3rd United
Nations World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (WCDR3) to be held in Sendai, and acted
from the standpoint of a disaster risk reduction expert to take a bird's eye view of what should beincorporated into the new framework and what should be left behind in Sendai after theconference. Specifically, we envisioned that the setting of numerical targets for disaster risk
reduction would be discussed at the conference, lobbied relevant stakeholders, and held several
expert meetings at Tohoku University with the United Nations, Japan International Cooperation
Agency (JICA), and disaster risk reduction experts, recognizing the need for each country to
prepare disaster loss and damage statistics. The aim was to establish a Global Centre for Disaster
Statistics at the International Research Institute of Disaster Science in collaboration with the United
Nations.
The Global Centre for Disaster Statistics aims to "collect and store disaster loss anddamage data from national governments, analyze the data in collaboration with partner institutions,and return the results to national governments for their use in planning disaster risk reduction
policies. Existing disaster loss and damage statistics have not been effectively used for planningdisaster risk reduction policies in various countries because it was not official and originated fromthe governments of the countries. It was insufficient in quality and quantity, or countries had
unstable systems and limited analytical capabilities. The Centre is innovative in that it aims tocollect data managed by governments in a comprehensive and systematic manner. Over the longterm, in line with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, we hope to make a significant
contribution to reducing global disaster casualties and economic losses by 2030, when theframework will be effective.
Specifically, the Centre has established a partnership with the United Nations Development
Programme (UNDP) to complement/promote the development of national disaster loss and3

damage statistics. The Centre will carry out two activities: "Construction of a Global Database(GDB) to consolidate disaster loss and damage statistics of each country in a unified format" and"Support for disaster risk reduction capacity building in developing countries”. The GDB to beconstructed will be a database that accepts information collected in each country and uses
common items as prototypes to enable comparisons among countries. The data will then be
analyzed based on the expertise of the International Research Institute of Disaster Science's
various research fields in disaster risk reduction, and returned to each country as information thatcan be used for policy making and development planning. As an example, we are considering
contributing to the creation of a report that summarizes the current status of disaster loss anddamage and the results of analysis, similar to Japan's White Paper on Disaster Risk Reduction,and building a system that will enable developing countries to easily utilize disaster loss anddamage statistics for policy making purposes.
Fujitsu Limited has provided significant support for the construction of the GDB, which will
be upgraded in stages. For analysis, we are conducting joint research with Pacific Consultants Co.,
Limited. In this way, the activities of the Centre are being carried out in collaboration with UNDP,
JICA, the private sector, research institutes, and disaster risk reduction-related organizations inJapan and abroad.

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Conclusion - from the author
The target year for achieving the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction which
includes the lessons learned from the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami, and the SDGs
is 2030, which is only 8 years away. However, the year 2020 delayed the achievement of thesegoals as the COVID-19 pandemic has been causing a significant drop in the value of grossdomestic product around the world. The Global Centre for Disaster Statistics as well as the "2030
Global DRR Agenda Office'' of IRIDeS will conduct surveys and research in international disasterrisk reduction policy, mainly at the United Nations. At the same time, we would like to actively
disseminate effective international disaster reduction policies for the next generation.

References4

Ito, T., Miyamoto, M., Ono, Y. (2016). Strengthening governance on disaster risk reduction
through improved disaster damage statistics. Journal of Disaster Research, 11(3), 470-475.
https://doi.org/10.20965/jdr.2016.p0470
Ono, Y. (2016) Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction: The Path to Setting Targets,Current Status of Indicators and Terminology, and the Global Centre for Disaster Statistics.
Academic Trends, 21(3), 94-102. https://doi.org/10.5363/tits.21.3_94 (In Japanese)
Sasaki, D. & Ono, Y. (2018). Overview of the special issue on the development of disaster statistics.
Journal of Disaster Research, 13(6), 1002-1005. https://doi.org/10.20965/jdr.2018.p1002

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