On October 18-19, the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association co-hosted a Global Cooperation and Training Framework (GCTF) workshop with the theme of “Maritime Disasters Measures” with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Taiwan), the National Science and Technology Center for Disaster Reduction (Taiwan), the Ocean Affairs Council (Taiwan), the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), the Australian Office Taipei, the Embassy of Saint Lucia in Taiwan. Izumi Hiroyasu gave a speech at the opening ceremony.
At this workshop, Koshimura Shunichi, Deputy Director, Professor, International Research Institute of Disaster Science, Tohoku University, Fukutome Kunihiro, Professor, Research Center for Regional Disaster Management, Iwate University and Kakimoto Hideomi, Manager, International Business Division, Disaster Prevention Department, Maritime Disaster Prevention Center (MDPC) gave a presentation on Japan's response to maritime disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis, typhoons and maritime accidents, and international cooperation as Japanese speakers. Experts from Taiwan, the U.S., Australia and Saint Lucia also shared their expertise and experience.
The Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association will continue to cooperate with the GCTF for its further development.
The speech from Chief Representative Izumi follows.
His Excellency Ambassador Robert Kennedy Lewis, Embassy of Saint Lucia in Taiwan
蔡妙慈, Deputy Director General, National Science and Technology Council
馬博元, Deputy Director General, Department of North American Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
All distinguished guests in the audience and those participating online, Good morning! 大家好！
It is a great pleasure for me to join with all of you today in hosting the GCTF Workshop. The agenda of workshop is “Maritime Disasters Measures”, and we are pleased to invite experts from various countries and regions to share their knowledge. Some of them have risked their lives to prevent the spread of damage at the scene of many maritime disasters, some have conducted research on countermeasures against them for many years, or some have showed leadership and are leading policies to prevent them. Along with their experience, they share the common value of protecting the safety of the sea.
This workshop is following to the GCTF workshop on "Sustainable Oceans based on the Rule of Law," which was first held in Japan last year. Taking rapid and appropriate action in response to natural disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis, typhoons, and maritime accidents is a common challenge for all countries. Today, we hope to deepen our knowledge and share our experiences with you on these issues through the presentations of professionals from various fields.
We also sincerely welcome Saint Lucia as a co-host of this workshop, in addition to our full partners － Taiwan, the United States, and Australia. We hope that more like-minded countries will join the GCTF circle in the future.
Lastly, I would like to thank all of you for your efforts in organizing today's GCTF workshop.
Thank you very much.