US-Japan civil-military disaster preparedness workshop: policies, procedure and partners

Peace Winds America and the U.S. Embassy are pleased to announce the “Disaster Preparedness Workshop: Policies, Procedures and Partners”. The U.S.-Japan Workshop will focus on critical areas of humanitarian assistance and disaster response (HA/DR) and how bilateral and multilateral coordination can be improved. The Workshop will bring together key stakeholders in regional disaster management—members of Japanese, United States and South Korean government agencies, military leaders, NGOs and representatives from the private sector. The Workshop is part of the U.S.-Japan Civil-Military Disaster Preparedness Initiative, a series of forums and workshops for senior level officials, officers, managers, and implementers of disaster preparedness and response. Building on progress made in our inaugural disaster preparedness forum, this Workshop will offer participants unique opportunities to meet, plan and train with colleagues in their field.

The Workshop will focus on “policies, procedures, and partners”, issues pivotal to HA/DR pre-deployment and deployment. Host nation, bilateral and multilateral issues will also be targeted. Workshop participants will have the opportunity to hear detailed accounts of the response to the March 2011 Japan earthquake and plan operations for a number of interactive case studies on HA/DR response in the Asia-Pacific region. To foster collaboration and inter-agency cooperation, the Workshop will make use of small group activities and scenarios. An ongoing focus on disseminating lessons learned and best practices will make the Workshop a vital resource for disaster planners and managers.