JICA Nepal office organized “JICA Chair” academic symposium in collaboration with the Centre for Nepal and Asian Studies (CNAS), Tribhuvan University (TU) on 05 and 06March 2025with gross 50 participants, calling on Prof. MURATA Masahiko, Professor, Kansai University of International Studies.

This year 2025 marks the 10th anniversary of the Gorkha earthquake, hence JICA aims to create an opportunity to discuss what Nepal, as a country with high disaster risk, should do to prepare for public, mutual, and self-help respectively, considering Nepali social features as well as Japan's experience in disaster risk reduction, and to raise awareness of DRR.

The symposium provided an opportunity to learn from Japan's experience in disaster risk reduction and management as well as discussion on how these kinds of helps are functioning in Nepal that “as a nation, one of the most important thing is to invest the national budget to reduce disaster damage in order to protect the safety of citizens (public help)”, and that “self-help” and “mutual-help” are possible only with risk reduction efforts of the government i.e. “public help”.

Prof. Murata presented report on Japan’s Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) strategies after the 1995 Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake (GHAE) and highlighted the importance of Public, Mutual, and Self-help in disaster preparedness as well as disaster response and recovery. Similarly, he shared key lessons from the GHAE and emphasized the role of self-help in personal preparedness, mutual help especially community-based efforts, and public help in government-led DRR-related activities.

Following his lecture, the symposiumprovided an opportunity to discuss what is needed regarding DRR and disaster preparedness in Nepal,taking consideration of social value including cultural, geological, social condition, and so on.

From the Nepali side, Prof. Mrigendra Bahadur Karki, Executive Director, CNAS TU, presented his views on significance of Disaster Management in Nepal along with Risk Reduction and Preparedness for enhancing sustainable development.

Various interactive sessions during the symposium led to productive discussions amongst the panelists and the audience who successfully discussed widely on the positive implications of DRRstrategies from the view point of both Nepal and Japan and further emphasized on customizing development models, governmental roles and policiesleading to the process of developing a resilient Nepal.

‘JICA Chair’ is an initiative of Japan International Cooperation Agency launched with an objective to develop future leaders in developing countries. JICA Chair is organized in JICA partner countries in collaboration with the leading universities to strengthen existing research and education programs as well as becoming a starting point to new initiatives. JICA Chair’s activities include intensive lectures conducted by leading professors and lecturers dispatched from Japan to disseminate Japan’s development experiences in various fields such as politics, economics, public administration, law, and others.

The first and second symposium of ‘JICA Chair’ in Nepal was organized on Jan 2022 and Feb 2023 respectively. JICA Nepal aims to continue academic fruitful dialogue between Japan and Nepal through similar extensive interaction sessions in the future as well.