A View from the Understanding Risk Global Forum 2024

Gaetano Vivo is Deputy Head of B3, the unit in DG ECHO that is responsible for the Knowledge Network, as well as capacity building for disaster prevention and preparedness.  Gaetano recently attended the Understanding Risk Global Forum 2024 in Japan -  the world’s largest forum on disaster prevention and preparedness, organised by the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR). We spoke to Gaetano about his takeaways from the conference, and how this can be used within the UCPM.

Other regions of the world are looking with a lot of interest at what the EU is doing in the area of disaster and climate resilience. Europe represents an example of advanced regional cooperation in managing and responding to disaster risks and can serve as “inspiration” for others, for instance Central Asia, Latin America, etc. 

For me personally attending the UR Forum was a great opportunity to look at what others (e.g. in countries such as Japan, USA and Australia), are doing in areas which are most critical for Europe at the moment, for instance wildfires, awareness and preparedness of citizens, “smart” investments for prevention and climate adaptation. 

What were the highlights for you?

So many that it is difficult to summarise them! I were to pick three:

1. The Japanese approach to making disaster preparedness part (and a responsibility) of the whole society, starting with children and youth. I joined a study visit to the Emergency Operation Centre (EOC) of the city of Himeji and I was amazed to see the entire ground floor of the building (and this seems to be the case for most cities’ EOCs in Japan) set up as a learning space devoted to children and other young visitors, with several interactive simulation exercises and games on emergency preparedness and on how to behave during and after a disaster (e.g. how to stockpile emergency items at home, how to evacuate a building filled with smoke, how you put out a fire in your kitchen, etc.)
2. Learning how post-disaster recovery and reconstruction can serve as a transformational opportunity to raise the level of awareness of communities and build resilience. Himeji, the town that hosted the Forum, is a symbolic place for disaster risk management in Japan and globally. Nearly 30 years ago (on 17 January, 1995) this area, near the city of Kobe, in the Hyogo Prefecture, was hit by a devastating earthquake. This event was a turning point in the Japanese and, later, international - approach to disaster risk management. The concept of “Build Back Better” was first introduced in the context of the reconstruction from the 1995 earthquake and then enshrined in the “Hyogo Framework for Action”, the first UN framework (2005-2015) on disaster risk reduction, then followed by the Sendai Framework (2015-2030). From a disaster zone, this has become a place of resilience and a benchmark for the rest of the world. 
3. The lessons learned by the US after the devastating 2023 wildfires in Maui (Hawaii). In a very compelling speech, the US Fire Administrator appointed by President Biden, Dr Lori Moore Merrell, pointed to the challenges faced by firefighters responding to this disaster which killed more than 100 people and destroyed nearly 2,000 buildings, including important cultural heritage sites. Among the factors she named: outdated wildfire hazard scenarios which did not take into account the changing climate, cascading effects between hazards (wildfires, drought and cyclone happening simultaneously) and the need to take more into account cultural and local factors which can affect response. I was impressed by the frankness of her account, which pointed to vulnerabilities that also European countries could relate to.

Building green shelters

The award-winning Japanese architect, Shigeru Ban, gave an eye-opening keynote address on building green, resilient and durable shelters built with sustainable materials (e.g. recycled cardboard tubes). Some of these buildings – including schools and hospitals - were produced in the aftermath of several disasters, crises and wars worldwide, including in Ukraine, Italy (following the L’Aquila Earthquake 2009), Haiti, Nepal, etc. The exhibition area of the UR Forum was built with the innovative cardboard system developed by Ms. Ban and the entire the structure was re-purposed for emergency housing after the event.