- Statements
The Government of Japan would like to extend it sincere appreciation to the Government of Indonesia and the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction for hosting the Seventh Session of the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction. Japan is pleased to share how we can implement the Sendai Framework as the host country of the 3rd United Nations World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction, where the Frame work was adopted seven years ago.
Firstly, we would like to highlight two points about why the Sendai Framework implementation is not on track. The first point is that the progress of some of the Sendai Framework's seven targets are not well monitored. For instance, progress against Target D, on critical infrastructure damages and service interruptions, has been reported in year 2020 by only 22 countries.The second point is that the reported progress on targets is not necessarily enough to assess the overall progress of DRR policy. We welcome the progress against Target E and appreciate that as many as 123 countries have adopted national or local DRR strategies by the 2020 deadline. What is more important, however, is whether the adopted strategies are sufficiently effective.
To tackle those challenges, we can deliver our experience in Japan as some hints. Firstly, it is recommended to initiate a mechanism that regularly monitors disaster damage and policy progress. In Japan, we prepare and submit an annual white paper on disaster management to the National Diet, and have done so since the Basic Act was enacted in 1962. Equally important is to have a mechanism to collect and compile disaster-related information from various ministries and local governments.In Japan, statistics on critical infrastructure damage are compiled from damage reports prepared by local governments in order to apply for financial support for reconstruction to relevant national ministries in respective sectors. In this regard, coordination among ministries is very important. The Cabinet Office serves as the control tower.
Moreover, to make DRR strategies more effective, regular revision is needed. In Japan, the national government develops the Basic Disaster Management Plan and local governments, including 47 prefectural governments and more than 1,700 municipalities, develop their own Local Disaster Management Plans. The National Plan is revised almost every year to reflect policy progress and review of disaster responses. Accordingly, local governments review their Plans every year. By going through such processes, policy will be updated at every level, including national and local.
Secondly, we would like to highlight effective DRR policy and strategic DRR investment as the most important issues in the second half period of the Sendai Framework. As per UNDRR’s report, 123 countries have reported that they adopted DRR strategy by year 2020. We believe that successful implementation of the Sendai Framework by 2030 really depends on whether these strategies will lead to the promotion of actual DRR investment in those countries. The Sendai Framework provides four "Priorities for Action," in which "Priority 3" is to promote investing in DRR for resilience.
In Japan, reflecting the tragedy of the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami, in which more than 18,000 people were dead or missing, a fundamental upgrade of DRR policy has been conducted. As a part of our efforts, the Basic Act for National Resilience was enacted in 2013 and pre-disaster DRR investment has been promoted in a comprehensive manner as a means for "building national resilience." The basic principles are to cope with whatever natural disasters by
1) ensuring protection of human lives as much as possible, 2) maintaining key national and social functions without critical interruptions, and 3) achieving quick recovery and reconstruction. Based on the "Five-year acceleration plan" adopted in 2020, the government is currently providing additional investment of roughly 120 billion USD in five years in the areas with 3 pillars and 123 countermeasures
Finally, we would like to touch upon our foremost priorities for action towards 2030. In Japan, 61 years have passed since the Basic Law on Disaster Countermeasures was enacted in 1961. Since then, damage caused by disasters has been reduced substantially due to our efforts. On the other hand, we must continue our effort to tackle the risks of large-scale earthquakes and tsunamis.Moreover, we must also address the risks of intensifying and more frequent water hazards and compounded disasters with infectious diseases.
As a challenge that Japan faces toward 2030, we would like to point out the aging of population. It is estimated that one third of the Japanese population will be over 65 years in 2036. Many elderly are healthy, but the vulnerability of the population will increase. The government is therefore promoting the development of individual evacuation plans for the elderly and also improving the living conditions of evacuation shelters. We believe that these policies coincide with the global pledge of the Sustainable Development Goals to ensure that "no one is left behind" and contribute to the advancement of DRR policy in other countries.
In conclusion, we would like to reiterate the importance of updating DRR strategy by reflecting disaster experience, accelerating necessary measures including more inclusive DRR policy and promoting planned DRR investment based on effective DRR strategy.
Again, we appreciate the Government of Indonesia and UNDRR for hosting the GP2022. The coming year 2023 will be the midpoint of the implementation period of the Sendai Framework. We hope our shared knowledge and experiences will help promote the implementation of the Sendai Framework in its second half period and Japan looks forward to achieving the Sendai Framework Targets and the Sustainable Development Goals all over the world, through the continuous efforts of the international community to enhance disaster risk reduction measures and investments.