Congratulations to CWS Japan on Tenth Anniversary from Chair of ADRRN Prof. Dr. Amod Mani Dixit

On behalf of the Asian Disaster Reduction and Response Network and on personal basis, I am pleased to extend our heartfelt Congratulations to CWS Japan on the tenth Anniversary of exemplary humanitarian services to the people in need of material and moral assistance during emergencies or during the golden periods of vulnerability reduction in between the episodes of natural or human-made disasters.

I personally came to know CWS Japan through our contacts with CWS Asia which applied for and became a member of ADRRN and Mr. Takeshi Komino represented the organization to ADRRN since 2012. Later, Takeshi-san became a member of the Executive Committee of ADRRN, and soon was assigned the responsibilities of ADRRN Secretary General. In this capacity, Takeshi-san brought in many of the excellent traits and experiences of CWSJ and CWSA, helped restructure the governance of ADRRN, assisted towards creation of several specialized centers of excellences called ADRRN Hubs, and leads networking initiatives of ADRRN among regional, international humanitarian agencies and networks as well as with several agencies of the United Nations. The Tokyo Innovation Hub of ADRRN, hosted by CWS Japan, is one of the model Hubs of ADRRN, and it has been successful in attracting funds and implementing programs towards capacity development and promoting innovation and accountability among the entire ADRRN membership. Takeshi-san helped organize ADRRN Exco Meeting in Japan in the eve of the UN Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in 2015 in Sendai. I also vividly remember Takeshi-san helping organize a field trip to the Fukushima region that was devastated by the meltdown of the nuclear power plant in the aftermath of the notorious tsunami. During the Sendai visit, we learned much about the excellent works done by CWSJ is assisting the victims of radiation in the aftermath of the Fukushima meltdown.

ADRRN is proud of working together with CWSJ. Now that Mr. Takeshi Komino has taken up the responsibilities of the Vice Chair of ADRRN, we look forward to closer and even more productive relationship with CWS Japan. I wish very much that CWSJ, including the Tokyo Innovation Hub, ADRRN Secretariat plus other related Hubs should design and implement a joint program targeting DRR and climate risk management and adaptation, documenting innovations and challenges overcome, so that a model of crystallizing, nurturing, and proliferating locally driven  and accomplished Initiatives could be created and demonstrated.

While the Asia Pacific region in the past three decades has witnessed tremendous success in understanding natural and non-natural hazards and has made significant achievements in capacity enhancement for vulnerability reduction and preparedness, and has developed robust network for collaboration and sharing of experiences,  the need to do more also appears to be growing in the same pace or even more as witnessed by the ever growing number of hazards, affected and displaced population as well as the consequent economic losses. This calls for a scientific approach in dealing with the ever-increasing complexities resulting from the intricate interaction of climate change impacts and the geophysical and socio-economic processes, including the co-occurrence of a multitude of natural hazards and socio-economic and political crises.  This also calls for understanding and documenting local traditional wisdom and resources, closer work with the local governments and local communities towards empowering the most vulnerable, the disadvantaged ones including the women, children and the elderly, the poor ones, helping them in strengthening and articulating their voices.

It is heartening to note that CWS Japan is putting up efforts in providing Humanitarian as well as development assistance, in capacity development and policy support, with their ongoing projects focusing on coordinating and collaborating with other organizations and networks, promoting quality, accountability and innovation, and covering such important areas as  emergency food, shelter, healthcare, sanitation, mental care, supporting women and children, capacity enhancement, protection from radiation and so on. These project actions respond very well to the calls of the Sendai Framework for DRR 2015-2030 and of the SDGs and other global agenda for development and a better world.

Huge diversity in political economy and the socio-economic conditions of the people makes Asia a unique region of the world, and despite the clarity of the approaches and actions proposed by the global frameworks such as SFDRR, development of a clear portrayal of “Resilient Asia” demands development of understanding, cooperation, and joint work between institutions such as CWS Japan and ADRRN with all its members. I am sure that clear understanding, joint work, and cooperation between our institutions will help us to march in this direction collectively.

On the Tenth Anniversary, I again express my best wishes to CWS Japan and look forward to greater collaboration in days and years to come.

Thank you.