A-PAD 10th Anniversary Forum: Beyond Disaster, Towards the Future held in Tokyo, Japan
The Asia Pacific Alliance for Disaster Management held its 10th Anniversary Forum, “Beyond Disaster, Towards the Future”, on February 28, 2023, at the International House of Japan, Koyata Iwasaki Memorial Hall in Tokyo, Japan.
A-PAD commemorated this milestone by reflecting upon a decade of advancing effective disaster management within the Asia-Pacific region and beyond. Established in October 2012 at the Asian Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (AMCDRR), the regional platform has grown to include seven national platforms in Japan, Korea, Bangladesh, Indonesia, the Philippines, Nepal and Sri Lanka. A-PAD has strengthened its regional presence by becoming a leading entity in the field of disaster management with a resounding collective of expertise from varied sectors.
The opening address was delivered by the Chairman of A-PAD, Prof. Quazi Quamruzzaman who welcomed all guests and shared his insights on A-PAD’s innovative approach to Disaster Management within the past decade.
The event was attended by several high-ranking Japanese government officials and diplomats, including Mr. Taro Kono and Mr. Ichiro Aisawa, Members of the House of Representatives, Mr. Yasuhisa Shiozaki, Former Chief Cabinet Secretary, Mr. Shunsuke Takei, the Senior Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Ambassador of Sri Lanka to Japan, H.E. Mr. E. Rodney M. Perera. The ceremonial session was followed by a candid panel discussion aimed at advancing disaster management in the Asia-Pacific region and beyond through effective and impactful collaboration.
Speaking at the panel discussion, the Chief Operating Officer of A-PAD, Mr. Firzan Hashim reflected upon his journey with A-PAD, bringing to attention the success of the Civil-Military Cooperation model for Search and Rescue introduced in Sri Lanka, as well as the strength of the private sector in the field of disaster management. He further reiterated the need to harness and direct private sector resources towards climate action and seeks to expand A-PAD’s influence further across the Asia-Pacific region and beyond.
Following the panel discussion, video messages from each country platform were played after which the A-PAD Awards Ceremony commenced where key partners were recognized for their outstanding commitment and passion towards fostering a safe and resilient future for all. Partners such as News 1st were awarded for their unique and innovative disaster management models and letters of appreciation were presented to key partners including HSBC Sri Lanka, Aitken Spence PLC and the Connecting Business initiative.
