Call for nominations: 2025 Sasakawa Award for Disaster Risk Reduction

This competition is made possible by an endowment from the Nippon Foundation, Japan.

The call for nominations for the 2025 United Nations Sasakawa Award for Disaster Risk Reduction is open, under the theme "Connecting science to people: democratizing access to innovation and technology for disaster resilient communities".

Nominations must be submitted by 28 March 2025. No nominations will be accepted beyond this date.
Nominations are to be submitted online; hard copy applications are not accepted. 
Completed nomination form must be emailed to [email protected].
Nomination Form
 

Background

Together with the World Health Organization Sasakawa Health Prize and the UN Environment Programme Sasakawa Environment Prize, the United Nations Sasakawa Award for Disaster Risk Reduction is one of the three prestigious prizes established in 1986 by the founding Chairman of the Nippon Foundation, Mr. Ryoichi Sasakawa. The United Nations Sasakawa Award for Disaster Risk Reduction is awarded to an individual or institution that has made active efforts to reduce disaster risk in their community and advocates for resilience.

Theme

The theme for the 2025 Sasakawa Award is "Connecting science to people: democratizing access to innovation and technology for disaster resilient communities." The award will recognize efforts by individuals and organizations to disseminate scientific knowledge for community resilience. Nominations may also include efforts to locally led efforts to develop or proliferate novel and appropriate technological solutions for community resilience.

We live in a multi-hazard world where disasters affect everyone, while exacerbating existing inequalities and disproportionally affecting the most at risk. At the same time, inter-connected disaster impacts cascade across geographies and sectors. Managing complex and interconnected risks is a pressing global challenge of today.

The Sustainable Development Goals and targets of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction cannot be reached without accelerated action to build community resilience. We have the knowledge and the solutions to overcome these challenges. Access to science and technology provides the opportunity to urgently leapfrog the challenges of today and harness resilience for a safe and prosperous future. Solutions to our global challenges are being generated at all levels, from the grass-roots to the global.

The Sasakawa Award focuses on the promotion of inclusive and resilient approaches in disaster risk reduction, reflecting the all of society approach outlined in the Sendai Framework. The 2025 Sasakawa Award will celebrate efforts made by institutions, individuals and groups that have contributed to building resilience through the democratization and access of science and technological solutions, wherever they are developed.

What does this Award recognize?

The Sasakawa Award will recognize selected candidates (individuals, groups, organizations, local authorities, etc.) through an award accompanied by a grant. The Award promotes importance of a more people-centered preventive approach to disaster risk, as well as inclusive and accessible disaster risk reduction practices, in line with the Sendai Framework.

Who can be nominated?

Candidates should be individuals or groups who are already working in the field of disaster risk reduction and are able to present their achievements. In addition to recognizing individuals or groups for their achievements, the Sasakawa Award also seeks to encourage and support to continue their good work with the grant and the visibility it brings.

It is possible to nominate an individual or an institution such as a community group, civil society organization, government agency at local or national level, NGO or private sector entity for this Award. Previous winners cannot be nominated again; and a nominator cannot nominate themself or the organization at which they work.

Candidates should have had some engagement with UNDRR-related processes or initiatives, such as the National, Regional or Global Platforms, the Making Cities Resilient Initiative, or other stakeholder-based network.

We accept nominations from:

• Former United Nations Sasakawa Award Laureates.
• Individuals that are part of UNDRR's stakeholder groups, networks and campaigns (this may include national or local government officials, NGOs, academic institutions, the private sector, regional organizations and those who took part in sessions of the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction, Regional Platforms for Disaster Risk Reduction, Making Cities Resilient).
• Representatives of institutions dealing with disaster prevention and mitigation, including government, local level actors, civil society and academia.
• United Nations agencies, funds and programmes and United Nations resident coordinators.
• Permanent Missions to the United Nations offices around the world.

Awards

The winners of the Sasakawa Award receive a prize, in most cases accompanied by a grant. The amount of the grant shall be determined on a case-by-case basis.

Key dates

• 28 January 2025: Official start of the Sasakawa Award nomination process
• 28 March 2025: Final deadline for receiving nominations
• April 2025: Evaluation process. Short list to be informed by 30 April
• 5 June 2025: Winner(s) announced at the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction

Criteria

Selection of the Jury members will be based on the diversity principles reflecting geographical, gender and stakeholder balance. Jury members will focus on evidence of concrete impact, performance and progress. When evaluating the received nominations, the jury will be assessing candidates against the following criteria:

• Relevance to the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction
• Demonstration of leveraging science and technology to build community resilience
• Degree of innovation and sustainability
• Coherence between sectors, groups, communities and practitioners
• Potential for scaling up

Prize-giving ceremony

The prize will be awarded on 5 June 2025 at the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction, in Geneva Switzerland. More information can be found online.