Kobe University UNESCO Chair Kickoff Symposium

01. Kobe University UNESCO Chair Kickoff Symposium 2018（PDF）
02. Kobe University UNESCO Chair Kickoff Symposium Program (PDF）
03. Kobe University UNESCO Chair "Gender and Vulnerability in Disaster Risk Reduction Support" pamphlet（PDF）
04. Kobe University UNESCO Chair "Gender and Vulnerability in Disaster Risk Reduction Support"（PDF）

Kobe University UNESCO Chair Kickoff Symposium Gender and Vulnerability in Disaster Risk Reduction Support was held at Kobe University on April 6th, 2018.

Kobe University Gender Equality Office held the UNESCO Chair Kickoff Symposium "Gender and Vulnerability in Disaster Risk Reduction Support" on April, 6th.　 Mr. Kazuaki Kawabata, Director-General for International Affairs of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology and Ms. Saniye Gülser Corat, Director for Gender Equality, UNESCO gave congratulatory remarks. These were followed by a lecture by Mr. Takeo Fukui, Project Coordinator in the Section on Earth Sciences and Geo-Hazards, UNESCO.

In the latter half of the symposium, a panel discussion took place under the title "The Importance of International Collaboration in Addressing Disaster: Visions and Realities of Gender and Vulnerability in Disaster". Professor Ronni Alexander, Director of the Gender Equality Office and Graduate School of International Cooperation Studies, was the panel coordinator and the following panelists made their lectures about their countries' issues around disasters, gender and vulnerability and discussed further cooperation on this project. Panelists:　Ms. Melyza Perdana - GadjahMada University (Indonesia)、Mr. Mohd Hafiz Amirrol - MERCY Malaysia (Malaysia)、Mr. Jin-Long Lu - National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology (Taiwan)、 Ms. Fusako Utsumi - National Women's Education Center (Japan)、Ms. SiripornWajjwalku - Network for International Development Cooperation, Thammasat University (Thailand)、Mr. Yuk Feng Huang - Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR) (Malaysia)

In the Q and A session, Ms. Saniye Gülser Corat praised the composition of the Kobe University UNESCO Chair, remarking that it has members from various fields like Public Health and Engineering. She also pointed out that we need to recognize the role of gender in every aspect of different groups. Especially in the event of a disaster, it is essential to focus on not only the number of victims but also their individual situations and to reexamine gender issues.

The 5th Gender Equality Award went to Professor Kaoru Hounoki, Emeritus Professor of Kobe University and Auditor of Kyoto University of Education. She founded the Kobe University Gender Equality Office and dedicated herself to managing it. Professor Roumiana Tsenkova, Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Kobe University received the First Kobe University UNESCO Chair Award for the achievement of linking the Gender Equality Office with UNESCO, leading to the successful application for a UNESCO Chair.