3 – 4 June 2013
Tokyo, Japan
The First Meeting of the High-level Experts and Leaders Panel on Water and Disasters (HELP/UNSGAB) was held on 4 June 2013 in Tokyo, Japan. The meeting was organized by the High-level Experts and Leaders Panel on Water and Disasters (HELP/UNSGAB), Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism of Japan (MLIT), and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), and was chaired by Dr. Han Seung-soo, the Founding Chair of HELP and the Former Prime Minister of the Republic of Korea. The meeting was attended by more than 40 representatives of national governments, international organizations, civil society and private sector.
10:30 Opening
- Opening Remarks: H.E. Dr. Han, Seung-soo, Founding Chair of HELP
- Welcome Remarks: Mr. Shigeru Kikukawa, Vice Minister for Engineering Affairs, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT), Japan
- Remarks: Mr. Akihiko Tanaka, President of JICA
- Message from UN Secretary General’s Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation (UNSGAB), delivered by Dr. Yordan Uznov, UNSGAB Member
- Keynote Speech: H.E. Mr. Kittiratt Na Ranong, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Kingdom of Thailand
11:20 Part 1: Launching of HELP
- Presentation by Mr. Kenzo Hiroki and Discussion
– Challenges on water-related disasters
– Draft program of HELP including priority actions towards 2015 - Declaration of establishment of HELP by Dr. Han, Seung-soo
11:40 Part 2: Case Studies on Recovery from Water-related Disasters
- “Tsunami Disaster Countermeasures Based on the Lessons Learned from the Great East Japan Earthquake”
Dr. Koji Ikeuchi, Director of River Planning Division, Water and Disaster Management Bureau, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT), Japan - “Lessons Learned Managing Flood Risks in the United States”
Mr. Steven L. Stockton, Director of Civil Works, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), United States of America - Presentation by Dr. Wolfgang Günter Kron, Head of Research: Hydrological Hazards, Munich Reinsurance Company
- Discussion
14:00 Part 3: Implementation of Action by HELP
Facilitator: Mr. Hiroki, Principal of ICHARM
Presentations by Members of HELP
- Dr. Ursula Schaefer-Preuss, Chair, Global Water Partnership
- Mr. Woochong Um, Deputy Director General, Regional and Sustainable Development Department, Asian Development Bank
- Mr. Jack Radisch, Risk Policy Analyst, OECD
- Dr. Kuniyoshi Takeuchi, Director, International Centre for Water Hazard and Risk Management(ICHARM)
- Mr. Neil McFarlane, Chief, Regional Programmes and DRR Coordination, UNISDR
- Discussion on future works of HELP
15:20 Closing
