over 1,100 participants from 83 countries across the Asia-Pacific and beyond joined the UNITAR Women's Leadership in Disaster Risk Reduction for World Tsunami Awareness Day 2025 training programme.
22 September 2025, Hiroshima, Japan - On 10 September 2025, the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) welcomed over 1,100 participants from across the Asia-Pacific and other parts of the world to the Japan-funded "Women's Leadership in Disaster Risk Reduction for World Tsunami Awareness Day 2025" programme. This programme, run in two phases between September 2025 and March 2026, fosters women's leadership in community-based early warning systems and disaster response. Recognizing that women and girls are disproportionately affected by hazards, it integrates women, peace, and security principles and positions women as central actors in strengthening climate and disaster resilience in the Pacific and Asia.
Phase 1 of the programme kicked off with an introductory webinar. The session gave participants an overview of the programme and its objectives, along with a brief introduction to UNITAR and disaster risk reduction. In its welcome remarks, UNITAR underlined how women are often disproportionately affected by disasters and that ensuring women are engaged in disaster preparedness and response is essential for resilient communities.
Disasters disproportionately affect the most vulnerable populations, and in many cultures, women are often at the forefront of caregiving during these times. Empowering women to take an active role in disaster preparedness and response is not only a matter of equity but a critical step towards building resilient communities.
- Junko Shimazu, Programme Officer and Team Leader, UNITAR Hiroshima Office
Participants then discussed and shared their perspectives on the role of women in society and how that role shapes the approaches to disaster risk reduction in their countries.
A Two-Phase Journey: Learning the Foundations, Mastering the Practice
Phase I - Online Learning (September to November 2025)
Over the next 10 weeks, participants will complete online modules and join a series of online sessions to learn about the Sendai Framework, international and regional disaster risk reduction frameworks, and ecosystem-based approaches. They will also explore climate and disaster risks, community-based and all-of-society disaster risk reduction, lessons from the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami, gender-inclusive leadership, peace-oriented climate resilience, regional good practices, multi-hazard approaches including biological hazards, and multi-stakeholder coalitions in the Asia-Pacific. By the end of the phase, participants will develop inclusive disaster risk reduction plans tailored for their communities.
Phase II - Specialized Training with Experts (March 2026)
After the online phase, top-performing participants will be invited to an intensive training with experts, which combines localized study with in-depth, specialized training. Participants will develop a technical understanding of disaster risk reduction and its assessment tools, while also building their disaster communication and leadership skills for effective disaster prevention, response, and recovery.
