The UK yesterday joined Taiwan, Japan and the US at a seminar in Taipei to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Japan’s Great Tohoku Earthquake, with participants highlighting the need to build resilience to natural disasters.
The seminar was part of the Global Cooperation and Training Framework (GCTF), which was established by Taiwan and the US in 2015, and engaged Japan as a cohost in 2019.
In his opening speech, Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) said the seminar is meaningful, because it was this year’s first GCTF event and the first time the UK joined the framework as a cohost.
Photo: CNA
In addition to representatives from Japan, the UK and the US, the seminar was attended by 110 officials and experts from 35 countries physically or virtually, the ministry said.
Japanese Representative to Taiwan Hiroyasu Izumi said the topic of the seminar, “Building the Resilience of Nations and Communities to Disasters,” was proposed by Japan.
Japan is prone to natural disasters, such as earthquakes and tsunami, so it puts great efforts into disaster prevention, he said.
In the wake of the March 11, 2011, earthquake and ensuing tsunami, Japan received support, exemplified by the US military’s “Operation Tomodachi,” as well as sizeable donations from Taiwan, the UK, the US and other countries, he said.
In addition to establishing measures to prevent and mitigate disasters, Japan has also shared its knowledge and technology with other countries, he said, adding that National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Resilience president Haruo Hayashi gave a keynote speech at the seminar.
American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Director Brent Christensen said he was proud to jointly host several workshops, including two under the GCTF, to train third-country practitioners from across the Indo-Pacific region on best practices in disaster relief.
Since the 921 Earthquake in 1999, Taiwan has worked hard to enhance its disaster response measures and become a model for disaster preparedness in the region, he said.
Christensen promoted the “Taiwan model” for managing COVID-19 and disaster response, encouraging other countries to also work more closely with Taiwan in disease prevention.
The UK’s approach increasingly integrates disaster risk reduction with other areas of development, such as climate change adaptation and social protection, British Representative to Taiwan John Dennis said, highlighting the need to obtain funding for the efforts.
British speaker Joanne Meusz is a true expert in this area as lead risk finance specialist for the British Centre for Disaster Protection, he added.
The seminar was also attended by Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Lin Minn-tsong (林敏聰), and National Science and Technology Center for Disaster Reduction Secretary-General Li Wei-sen (李維森).
Following yesterday’s opening, a series of meetings would take place through September, with most being held virtually, Li said.
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