"Fostering DRR through Education for Sustainable Development: Towards a Better Future for Children" (Forum)

The forum will discuss Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) education within the context of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). DRR education has grown as a major component of ESD, particularly since March 2011 in the Tohoku area. The Aichi-Nagoya declaration on ESD (November 2014) clearly reaffirmed that it can serve as a vital means of implementation of DRR, hence specific measures and strategies should be discussed to effectively foster DRR within the ESD context. As leading promoters of ESD, the organizers will present practical DRR educational programs from local elementary, junior high and high schools. Practitioners in both fields are invited to explore the contribution of ESD to DRR and develop a framework from their common ground for a better future for children.

Date: March 16, 2015 (Mon) 15:00-18:00

Venue: Kawauchi Hagi Hall, Tohoku University Centennial Hall (link available only in Japanese)
     **The parking lot will be closed that day. Please take public transportation to come to the venue.

Language: English and Japanese  *Simultaneous interpretation receiver will be available at the forum

Host Organizations: Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology,
     Japanese National Comission for UNESCO, Miyagi University of Education

Co-host Organizations: International Research Institute for Disaster Science at Tohoku University,
     Japan Disaster Education Liaison Network for UNWCDRR

Support: Prefectural Board of Educations of Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima,
     Sendai City Board of Education, Kesennuma City, Kahoku Shimpo Publishing Co.

Registration:  As we reached maximum number of participants, the registration is now closed. Thank you for applying to the forum.

Program:  ※Please note that the timeline and the program are subject to change.

15:00-15:05	Opening Speech: Yoshio Yamawaki, Director-General for International Affairs, MEXT
15:05-15:15	About the Symposium: Kazuyuki Mikami, President of Miyagi University of Education
15:15-16:00	Presentation on Local DRR Practices: (1) DRR and Disaster Recovery Education Projects at Higher Education (2) Department of Disaster Science at Tagajo High School (3) 10 Years of DRR at Local Community - The case of Hashikami District, Kesennuma
16:00-16:10	Break
16:10-17:50	Panel Discussion: ESD and HFA2 ○Coordinator   Rajib Shaw, Professor, Kyoto University ○Panelists   Alexander Leicht, Head of Section, Section of Education for Sustainable Development, UNESCO   Amor Q. de Torres, Vice President for Academic Affairs, Capitol University   Fumihiko Imamura, Director, International Research Institute for Disaster Science, Tohoku University   Akihiko Sugawara, President, Kesennuma Chamber of Commerce and Industry   Shinichi Takeda, Director, Kahoku Shimpo Publishing Co. ○Commentators   Hans van Ginkel, Former Undersecretary-General of the United Nations, Former Rector of United Nations University   Suvendrini Kakuchi, Special Correspondent, Inter Press Service
17:50-18:00	Closing

Flyer (Japanese) downloadable from here

Registration will close once the number of participants reaches maximum.