Building resilience: Lessons from post-tsunami Japan
March 11th 2013
Welcoming remarks by Ambassador Shiojiri
Ambassador Shiojiri delivered the welcoming remarks at the Friends of Europe event: “Building resilience: Lessons from post-tsunami Japan”.
The keynote address was delivered by Kristalina Georgieva, EU Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response and Kenzo Oshima, Commissioner for Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NRA)
In his speech the Ambassador remarked: “As Japanese Ambassador to the EU, I am always thankful for the support and encouragement you have given us, during these most challenging years. For those who lost loved ones, life goes on and they have had to adapt to a totally changed and harsher reality. And even if their sorrow will not disappear, many of them have chosen to live with their heads up and shoulders back.”
The event examined: what are the lessons on resilience learned from the tragedy in Japan and how can they be transferred to other nations which suffer from regular disasters? How is Japan helping Asian countries in disaster-management and post-disaster reconstruction to promote resilience? What is the potential for Japan-EU cooperation to build a more resilient world?
The full texts of the speeches are available below:
- Kristalina Georgieva, EU Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response
The main speakers at the event were:
Kenzo Hiroki, Research Coordinator for Water Disaster Risk Management at the International Centre for Water Hazard and Risk Management (ICHARM)
Ismat Jahan, Ambassador of Bangladesh to Belgium
Hidetomi Oi, Former Senior Advisor on Disaster Risk Reduction, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)
Christoph Pusch, Lead Disaster Management Specialist and Deputy Manager of the Global Facility of Disaster Reduction and Recovery, a World Bank-hosted partnershipMore on this event, including pictures and the full event program, can be found by visiting Friends of Europe website here.
