Dear Forum members,

The Centre for East Asian Studies (UTU) is organising two online presentations devoted to COVID-19 and Japan that may be of interest to some of you.

On 22.10. (10:00-12:00 Helsinki/Turku time) Takeshi Komino (CWS Japan and Japan Platform) will be presenting on "COVID-19 and disaster management challenges in Japan/Asia". Then on 12.11. (9:00-11:00 Helsinki/Turku time) Aoi Horiuchi from Japan NGO Center for International Cooperation (JANIC) will be speaking on "Civil Society Assessment of the Impact of the COVID-19 on Democracy and the Response to COVID-19 Pandemic in Japan - from the SDG 16+ and human rights-based approach (HRBA)".

Both of the presentations will be held on Zoom. Please drop me a short line if you would like to join any/both of the events.

Kind regards,

Kamila
----
Dr Kamila Szczepanska
University Lecturer
Centre for East Asian Studies
University of Turku
Assistentinkatu 7
20500
Turku
Finland
+358 29 450 4844
+358 50 452 2080
kamila.szczepanska@utu.fi

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Takeshi Komino: "COVID-19 and disaster management challenges in Japan/Asia"
22.10. (Thursday), 10:00-12:00hrs (Turku/Helsinki time, GMT+3) [16:00-18:00 hrs Tokyo time]
Takeshi Komino is General Secretary of CWS Japan, and Co-chairperson of Japan Platform. Also serves as Secretary General and a member of Executive Committee for Asian Disaster Reduction and Response Network (ADRRN), joint secretariat of Japan CSO Coalition for DRR (JCC-DRR), and the chairperson of Japan Quality and Accountability Network (JQAN). He graduated from Doshisha University, and holds Development Studies M.A. from Brandeis University.

Abstract: Climate change is causing rapid increase in disaster risks, and the world is facing the era of 'new normal' with a complex mixture of various risks cascading one another. The webinar aims to cover the recent disaster trends, the evolution of disaster risk reduction frameworks, specific challenges in the region, and how COVID-19 has impacted the way we approach disaster risk management in Japan and the wider Asian region. Furthermore, it will cover the linkages of localization and disaster management, and how knowledge management/sharing and innovation would play a key role in addressing this 'new normal'. Last, the webinar will also highlight some of Japan's recent endeavours in tackling the current increase in disaster risks.
To receive a Zoom link by email prior to the event, please contact Kamila Szczepanska (kamila.szczepanska@utu.fi)

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Aoi Horiuchi: "Civil Society Assessment of the Impact of the COVID-19 on Democracy and the Response to COVID-19 Pandemic in Japan- from the SDG 16+ and human rights-based approach (HRBA)"
12.11.(Thursday), 9:00-11:00 (Turku/Helsinki time, GMT+3) [16:00-18:00 hrs Tokyo time]

Aoi Horiuchi is an advocacy coordinator of Japan NGO Center for International Cooperation (JANIC) since 2012. He is involved in the coordination of official periodical dialogues between NGOs and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Japan, where participants discuss Japan's ODA, especially support for NGOs. He also conducts advocacy work on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and is an active member of Japan Civil Society Network on SDGs (SDGs Japan).


Abstract: Civil society organizations in Japan have responded to COVID-19 both domestically and internationally. They monitored how the government of Japan effectively handled the situation since January 2020, as it is obvious that COVID-19 affected human rights situation and implementations of SDGs. During the presentation, selected SDGs, such as Goal 3 (Health), Goal 5 (Gender) and Goal 16 (Peace and Justice), will be discussed. Goal 16 will be referred to as SDG16+, as this is a cross-cutting goal which is an enabler and accelerator of all SDGs, and requires a nexus and mainstreaming approach, which are gender, conflict and climate sensitive, and human right-based.


To receive a Zoom link by email prior to the event, please contact Kamila Szczepanska (kamila.szczepanska@utu.fi)

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