SENDAI -Towards a Disaster-Resilient and Environmentally-Friendly City

1. Date and Time:

March 4 (Sat), 2023. From 9:30 to 16:30

2. Venue:

Sendai International Center Exhibition Building, etc.

3. Organizer:

City of Sendai

4. Supporter:

Miyagi Prefecture, International Research Institute of Disaster Science (IRIDeS) of Tohoku University

5. Event Composition:

■2023 Sendai Symposium for Disaster Risk Reduction and the Future
(1) Presentations: 15 groups
(2) Online presentations: 2 groups
(3) Workshops: 5 groups
(4) Exhibition booths and poster presentations: 77 groups
(5) Stage programs
(6) Hands-on workshops
(7) World DRR quiz campaign
(8) DRR stamp collection campaign

■Environmental Forum Sendai 2023
(1) Presentations: 3 groups
(2) Exhibition booths and poster presentations: 20 groups

6. Number of Admission

Approx. 3,900 people (Including entry to Environmental Forum Sendai 2023)

7. Outcome Summary

In conjunction to the hosting of the World BOSAI Forum/International Disaster and Risk Conference 2023 in Sendai, and with connections to the world in mind, the theme of this year’s symposium was “It Starts from Here: A World and Future with DRR as Part of Our Daily Lives”. Various programs for people to learn and think about Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) in relation to a wide range of themes including reconstruction, passing down lessons to future generations, and disaster prevention and reduction.

Other than presentations on various topics such as SDGs and DRR initiatives in the Age of Multiculturalism involving foreign residents, many citizen groups, students, and even attendees from outside of Sendai City participated in the event by curating exhibition booths and poster presentations on their activities and a multitude of other topics.
Furthermore, activities including a stage reading performance about the legacy and stories of Shichigo area along the eastern coastal area of Sendai City, a workshop about DRR and the environment which featured science experiments, and a quiz campaign where participants can learn about DRR around the world also took place during the symposium.
This year, Environmental Forum Sendai 2023 was held within the venue of the symposium, making the event an opportunity for participants to not only learn about DRR but also about the environment.

During the closing ceremony, MATSUOKA Yuki, the Head of the UNDRR Office in Japan, expressed her hopes for the implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction. Meanwhile, junior high school participants of the program “Boost your DRR Skills through Planning from Diverse Perspectives: Sharing of DRR Declaration Created by Junior High School Students in Preparation for the Future” presented their fruit of labor. In the forum summary by IMAMURA Fumihiko, the Director of the International Research Institute of Disaster Science of Tohoku University, he mentioned the necessity of the continuation of the Sendai Symposium for Disaster Risk Reduction and the Future which has been held annually since 2016; while KOHRI Kazuko, the Mayor of Sendai, concluded the event with a reminder of the importance of passing lessons and experiences learned from the disaster onto future generations.

In order to raise funds for those who are affected by the earthquake which happened in Southeastern Türkiye on February 6, 2023, donation boxes were set up in the venue of the Sendai Symposium for Disaster Risk Reduction and the Future. After calculation, a total of 8,394 yen was raised for the cause. The money raised will be used as part of the Japanese Red Cross Society Emergency Relief Fund towards helping victims of the disaster. Thank you very much for everyone’s support and cooperation.

 

8. Aspects of the Event

• 
  Presentations
• 
  Workshops
• 
  Stage programs
• 
  Exhibition booths
• 
  Poster presentations
• 
  Stamp collection campaign
• 
  Closing ceremony
• 
  Exhibition in Aoba no Kaze Terrace
• 
  Environmental Forum Sendai 2023