Enhancing Citizens’ Disaster Resilience through an International Transdisciplinary Research Project in Mongolia

As emphasized in the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) 2015–2030, an important key for enhancing citizens’ resilience is cooperation, in which universities and academic organizations may bear the burden of connecting people. Recently, some universities have conducted various DRR education programs together with local governments and citizens in Japan. In this report, we introduce the progress of our three international cooperative projects between Japan and Mongolia conducted between 2014 and 2018: 1) establishment of the Cooperative Center for Resilience Research (CCRR) by the National University of Mongolia and Nagoya University; 2) the Public Symposium for Earthquake DRR with the Mongolian Government; and 3) the Grass-Roots Joint Project of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for disaster awareness in Khovd Province (Aimag), Mongolia. Through these transdisciplinary research projects, we intended to identify the essential conditions for an effective enhancement of citizens’ resilience. As a result, we found the following key aspects to be considered in international DRR cooperation flamework: 1) transfer the spirit of DRR rather than simply its components, 2) customize DRR to match the climate and residents’ temperament in the target area, 3) consider whether the project is consistent with the public policy of the target area, and 4) involve regional organizations and residents to ensure continuity for DRR activity.