October 13th is the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction (IDDRR), established by the United Nations General Assembly in response to the call to promote a global culture of risk awareness and disaster risk reduction. The theme of 2024 is the role of education in protecting and empowering youth for a disaster-free future in order to achieve the Sendai Framework Goal of reducing global disaster risk and strengthening resilience.

The Natural Disaster Youth Summit (NDYS) started in 2005 as a project to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, and over the past 20 years has grown into a global network for disaster education by sharing lessons learned from various disasters around the world through “Global collaborative learning” using digital technology and learning with the rest of the world, and by presenting results and holding dialogues on disaster prevention and recovery. Through these activities, the network has grown into a global educational network for disaster prevention and recovery.

The year 2025 marks the 30th anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake. In recognition of the role we must play, JEARN will host the “Natural Disaster Youth Summit 2025 in KOBE” next spring in a bilingual setting. The theme of the meeting will be “Learning to Create a Disaster-Resilient and Sustainable Society,” with a special program entitled “30 Years after the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake.

Join the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction with the hashtag #DRRDay.