The Hyogo and Sendai Frameworks for Disaster Reduction are well known and have been influential globally. However, less is known of their broader contexts.

A recent opportunity to visit Kobe, Japan, provided an opportunity to experience the rich, and largely unknown tapestry behind the scenes of the Hyogo and Sendai Frameworks. This paper aims to illuminate the journey of the Kobe Legacy and its global influence.

An experiential visit to Kobe and exploring its rich resources relating to disaster risk reduction.

The First World Conference on Natural Disasters, was held in Yokohama, Japan, in 1994. Almost immediately, Kobe experienced the Great Hanshin Earthquake, January 17, 1995, resulting in 6,434 dead, 43,792 injured, and 249,180 homes damaged. The United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (2000 – 2005) culminated in the Second World Conference on Disaster Reduction, Kobe, 2005 and the Hyogo Framework for Action 2005 – 2015. The Great East Japan Earthquake occurred on March 11, 2011, with 18,453 dead or missing, 6157 injured, 1.1M homes damaged, with a tsunami and nuclear accidents. The Third World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction followed in Sendai in 2015 with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015 – 2030 agreed on. Subsequently, the Sendai Framework has further evolved. However, behind the scenes, Kobe has developed a rich tapestry of insightful and valuable resources which will be outlined in this presentation.

In the words of the Mayor of Kobe, Mr. Tatsuo Yada in 2010, “I would like to reaffirm my determination to never allow our experiences of the disaster to fade away. It is our responsibility to make the utmost effort for disaster prevention and mitigation and keep passing on our experiences and the lessons learned to future generations”. This is the real legacy of Kobe.