High Level Policy Dialogue on Resilient Recovery-A Special Forum of the IRP-

Highlights

• READ THE OUTCOME DOCUMENT (Read here)
• VIEW PHOTOS & HIGHLIGHTS (Day one | Day two)
• WATCH VIDEO FROM THE DIALOGUE (YouTube) |

Event Description

The High-Level Policy Dialogue on Resilient Recovery is a special forum of the International Recovery Platform (IRP), hosted by UNDRR, the Cabinet Office of Japan, Hyogo Prefectural Government, and the Asian Disaster Reduction Center, It will be held from 18–20 September 2025 in Kobe, Japan. The event brings together senior government officials, United Nations and international organizations, development partners, and other key stakeholders to deliberate on actionable strategies and commitments to accelerate progress on Priority 4 of the Sendai Framework.

The Dialogue will focus on advancing implementation of the Priority Actions to Enhance Readiness for Resilient Recovery, adopted at the 2025 World Resilient Recovery Conference. Through high-level discussions, governments, international organizations, and civil society will examine persistent bottlenecks in recovery, share lessons and approaches, and commit to practical, scalable strategies for strengthening recovery readiness. The discussions will focus on how solutions can be adapted and scaled up to diverse national and local contexts.

Key themes include strengthening governance, financing mechanisms, capacity development, private sector engagement, and the localization of recovery efforts. By fostering practical knowledge exchange and political commitment, the Dialogue will support countries in developing effective strategies to deliver resilient recovery outcomes and reduce disaster risk over the remainder of the Sendai Framework period.

Objectives  

The High-Level Policy Dialogue aims to:

• Catalyze implementation of the Priority Actions to Enhance Readiness for Resilient Recovery through concrete strategies and commitments. 

• Identify strategies to support countries in implementing the WRRC Priority Actions through coordinated efforts on policy, systems, and financing. Facilitate high-level exchange on policy innovations, governance models, and financing mechanisms for recovery readiness.

• Generate practical solutions to overcome common challenges in operationalizing recovery readiness and scaling successful practices across different country contexts.

• Promote cooperation to accelerate knowledge exchange, peer learning, and technical support for countries seeking to operationalize recovery readiness.

• Demonstrate practical tools and frameworks for recovery readiness implementation, including innovative assessment methodologies and capacity building approaches.

Programme

<18 September 2025 (Day 1)>

Opening Session (Video)

Master of Ceremony: Mr. Paul Rosenberg, Associate Programme Management Officer, United Nations Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR)

• Opening Remarks: Mr. HATOYAMA Jiro, State Minister, Japan

• Opening Address: Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, Executive Director, Emergency Programme, World Health Organization (WHO) 

• Keynote Address: Ms. Paola Albrito, Director, UNDRR

• Welcome Remarks: Mr. SAITO Motohiko, Governor, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan

Plenary Session 1 – Current Landscape of Recovery Readiness (Video)

Moderator: Dr. Qudsia Huda, Head of Disaster Risk Management and Resilience, WHO

Panelist: 

• Mr. Mohammad Nazmul Abedin, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief, Bangladesh 

• Mr. Gabriel Belem Monteiro, Vice-President, National Institute for Disaster Risk Management and Reduction (INGD), Mozambique

• Mr. NISHIKAWA Satoru, Professor / Senior Advisor, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) 

• Mr. Jason Francis, Disaster Recovery Specialist, Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA)

• Mr. Yevgeniy Zhukov, Director General for Climate Change and Sustainable Development, Asian Development Bank (ADB)

Plenary Session 2 – Strengthening Recovery Governance Prior to Disasters (Video)

Moderator: Ms. Kazuko Ishigaki, Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific, UN-Habitat

Panelists:

• Dr. Namane Dickson Masemola, Deputy Minister, Corporative Governance and Traditional Affairs, South Africa

• Mr. Aarone Sargent, Managing Director, Disaster Risk Management Authority, The Bahamas

• Mr. Norman Chipakupaku, National Coordinator, Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit (DMMU), Zambia

• H.E. Dr. Saif Juma Al Dhaheiri, Director of the National Operations Center, United Arab Emirates 

• Mr. Safi Ahsan Rizvi, Advisor, National Disaster Management Authority, India

Plenary Session 3 – Establishing Necessary Adaptive Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Systems for Recovery (Video)

Moderator: Mr. Soichiro Yasukawa, Chief Disaster Risk Reduction Unit, UNESCO

Panelists:

• Her Excellency Lillian Aber, Minister of State for Relief, Disaster Preparedness and Refugees, Office of the Prime Minister, Uganda

• Mr. Shamyrkanov Urmatbek, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Emergency Situations, Kyrgyz Republic

• Ms. Bazarragchaa Duudgai, Head of Disaster Risk Management Division, National Emergency Management Agency, Mongolia 

• Mr. Hisan Hassan, Chief Executive, National Disaster Management Authority, Maldives

Day 1 Closing 

<19 September 2025 (Day 2)>

Parallel Roundtables

Roundtable A: Localizing Recovery Readiness

Moderator: Mr. Sanjaya Bhatia, Head Incheon office, UNDRR

Keynote speakers: 

• Mr. Manu Gupta, Co-Founder and Head of SEEDS 

• Dr. Sisira Madurapperuma, Director, Preparedness and Climate Action Department, Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC)

• Mr. NAGAMATSU Shingo, Professor, Kansai University

Rapporteur: Ms. Ipsita Sircar, Regional Lead, Asia Pacific and Europe, Global Network of Civil Society Organisations for Disaster Reduction (GNDR)

Roundtable B: Enabling Rapid Livelihood and Economic Recovery

Moderator: Ms. Rita Missal, Recovery Advisor, Disaster Risk Reduction and Recovery Team, Crisis Bureau, UNDP

Keynote speakers: 

• Ms. Alice Baillat, Policy Adviser, Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC)

• Ms. TSUKAMOTO Mito, Chief, Employment in Investments, Employment Policies, International Labour Organization (ILO)

• Ms. Ritsu Nacken, Chief of Mission, International Organization for Migration (IOM)

• Rapporteur: Mr. NAGAMI Kozo, Specially Appointed Professor, Tohoku University

Roundtable C: Housing reconstruction and critical infrastructure recovery as a cornerstone for Building Back Better

Moderator: Mr. Manu Gupta, Co-Founder and Head of SEEDS

Keynote speakers: 

• Ms. Monica Schroeder, Vice President, Global Engagement, Build Change

• Mr. SASAHARA Akio, Executive Director, Asian Disaster Reduction Center (ADRC)

• Ms. Rita Missal, Recovery Advisor, Disaster Risk Reduction and Recovery Team, Crisis Bureau, UNDP

• Rapporteur: Mr. AKASHI Masato, Chief Project Manager, Pacific Consultants Co., Ltd., Japan

Roundtable D: Strengthening collaboration with the Private Sector

Moderator: Ms. Sandra Amlang, Head Interagency Cooperation Unit, Inter-governmental processes, Interagency cooperation and Partnerships Branch, UNDRR 

Keynote speakers: 

• Mr. TAKAHASHI Akira, Director General in charge of Diversity Promotion, City of Sendai, Japan

• Mr. HIJIKATA Satoshi, Senior Advisor, Kokusai Kogyo Co., Ltd. (ARISE Japan)

• Mr. Saeed Saleh Alrahoomi, Head of Business Continuity, Dubai Resilience Center, United Arab Emirates

• Mr. ONO Takahiro, General Manager, Tokio Marine Holdings

Rapporteur: Dr. Mona Chhabra Anand, Technical Lead, ADPC

Plenary Session 4 – Key Takeaways from the Roundtable Discussions (Video)

Moderator: Mr. Paul Rosenberg, Associate Programme Management Officer, UNDRR

• Roundtable A: Ms. Ipsita Sircar, Regional Lead, Asia Pacific and Europe, Global Network of Civil Society Organisations for Disaster Reduction (GNDR)

• Roundtable B: Mr. NAGAMI Kozo, Specially Appointed Professor, Tohoku University

• Roundtable C: Mr. AKASHI Masato, Chief Project Manager, Pacific Consultants Co., Ltd., Japan

• Roundtable D: Dr. Mona Chhabra Anand, Technical Lead, ADPC

Plenary Session 5 – Strengthening International Recovery Platform (IRP) to Deliver the Priority Actions (Video)

Moderator: Dr. Abhilash Panda, Deputy Chief, Inter-governmental processes, Interagency cooperation and Partnerships Branch, UNDRR

Panelist for panel 1:

• Ms. Paola Albrito, Director, UNDRR 

• Ms. OHASHI Makiko, Director in Charge, International Cooperation, Disaster Management Bureau, Cabinet Office, Japan

• Mr. Steven Goldfinch, Senior Disaster Risk Management Specialist, ADB 

Panelist for panel 2:

• Mr. Paulo Roberto Farias Falcao, Deputy National Secretary for Civil Protection and Defense and Director of Civil Works Department, Brazil

• Brigadier General Hassan Mohammed Al Emadi, Chairman of The National Committee for the Prohibition of Weapons, Ministry of Defense, Qatar

• Mr. Kamil Peter Korisa, Head of the National Recovery Coordination Unit, Government of Vanuatu

• Mr. Elack Olivier Andriakaja, Director General, National Disaster and Risk Management Authority, Republic of Madagascar

Plenary Session 6 – Securing and Enabling Predictable, Inclusive Recovery Financing (Video)

Moderator: Ms. Elizabeth Riley, Executive Director, Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA)

Panelists:

• Hon. Daniel Garwe, Minister of Local Government and Public Works, Zimbabwe 

• Ms. María Angela Leal Pineda, Undersecretary for Risk Reduction Management, National Coordinator for Disaster Reduction, Guatemala

• Mr. Bishoraj Neupane, Under Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs, Nepal

• Ms. Angela Oliveira, Deputy State Secretary for Reconstruction in Rio Grande do Sul, State Government of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

• Mr. Karlos Lee Moresi, Programme Adviser and Team Leader, Climate Change and Resilience, Pacific Islands Forum (PIFS)

Closing Session (Video)

Master of Ceremony: Mr. Paul Rosenberg, Associate Programme Management Officer, UNDRR

• Summary of Key Outcomes & Next Steps: Dr. Abhilash Panda, Deputy Chief, Inter-governmental processes, Interagency cooperation and Partnerships Branch, UNDRR

• Closing Remarks: Ms. OHASHI Makiko, Director in Charge, International Cooperation, Disaster Management Bureau, Cabinet Office, Japan

<Training Session>

Training A: Recovery Readiness Framework and Assessment Tool

Speakers: 

• Mr. Deoranjan Kumar Singh, Additional Chief Secretary and Managing Director, Odisha State Disaster Management Authority, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India

• Ms. Angela Oliveira, Deputy State Secretary for Reconstruction in Rio Grande do Sul, State Government of Rio Grande do Sul

• Ms. Bazarragchaa Duudgai, Head of Disaster Risk Management Division, National Emergency Management Agency, Mongolia  

• Mr. Atila Uras, Head of Response and Recovery Unit, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

Training B: Resilient Post-Disaster Housing Reconstruction

Speakers: 

• Mr. Manu Gupta, Co-Founder and Head of SEEDS

• Mr. Luis Triveno, Resilient Housing Thematic Lead, GFDRR

• Ms. SAITO Keiko, Senior Disaster Risk Management Specialist, Tokyo DRM Hub, GFDRR, World Bank 

• Ms. María Angela Leal Pineda, Undersecretary for Risk Reduction Management, National Coordinator for Disaster Reduction, Guatemala

• Ms. Monica Schroeder, Vice President, Global Engagement, Build Change

• Mr. Alberto Armando, Deputy Director of the National Emergency Operations Center (CENOE), National Institute for Disaster Risk Management and Reduction (INGD), Mozambique

• Ms. Erika Gutierrez, Information Management and Analytics Specialist, UNOPS

• Mr. Jason Francis, Recovery Specialist, CDEMA