U.N. Conference in Sendai Adopts Action Framework on Disaster Risk Reduction Incorporating Disability-inclusive Perspectives

In the Sendai conference, about 350 side events were held in addition to working sessions and about 10,000 persons attended, including U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. It adopted the "Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030," following the Hyogo framework.

In the Sendai conference, about 350 side events were held in addition to working sessions and about 10,000 persons attended, including U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. It adopted the "Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030," following the Hyogo framework.

In the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake it was reported that the death rate was two times higher among persons with disabilities compared to the residents in general. This was the first time that the disproportion in risk was confirmed by numbers. The importance of disability-inclusive disaster management has been gaining recognition around the world. It is against this backdrop that the UN World Conference on DRR took this up as one of the themes of its working session for the first time.

"The number of persons with disabilities amount to 15% of the world population or as many as 1 billion," said Mr. Yohei Sasakawa, chairman of The Nippon Foundation who has held international conferences on disaster risk reduction in seven cities in the world and was instrumental in realizing a working session on the subject. With a new framework for action allowing all persons with disabilities to participate adopted, "not only will human suffering in disasters be reduced but it will open up new opportunities for disability inclusive post-disaster recovery," he added.

For the details: http://www.nippon-foundation.or.jp/en/news/articles/2015/3.html

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Natsuko Tominaga 
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The Nippon Foundation
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