“Nothing undermines development like a disaster”, writes Mami Mizutori on the website of the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR). The senior diplomat, who worked for Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs for 27 years, serves as Special Representative for the Secretary General for Disaster Risk Reduction and is heading the Office in Geneva, which is tasked with prevention – trying to ensure that natural or man-made hazards don’t turn into disaster.

What are the biggest disaster risks the world is facing, and which risks are most prevalent in Asia? What have we learned so far from the collective response to the pandemic? And how is a small UN Agency in Geneva taking on the giant task of saving the world from disaster risks?

Join us for a timely conversation with Mami Mizutori on how countries can better prevent and prepare for future crises – whether it’s a pandemic, climate change, or something else entirely.
 

This event is for Asia Society Members only. How to become a member?

Participation at our office is limited to 20 people. Masks are mandatory. Contact details of all participants are collected during registration to allow contact tracing. If you have any symptoms, we kindly ask you to stay at home. Asia Society members and UN employees can also join the event online on the Conference platform Zoom.

Attendance is free. In order to avoid no-shows for tickets at our office, a CHF 50 no-show fee will be charged if you do not cancel your registration until 24 hours before the event the latest.

Mami Mizutori is the Assistant Secretary-General and Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction heading the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR, formerly UNISDR) since March 2018. Prior to joining UNDRR she was Executive Director of the Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures, University of East Anglia, UK since 2011. She served for 27 years in the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs in various capacities, including as Budget Director, Director of the Japan Information and Culture Centre at the Embassy of Japan in London, Director of the National Security Policy Division, Director of the United Nations Policy Division, Director of the Status of United States Forces Agreement Division and Deputy Director of the Personnel Division. She has worked in London, Washington D.C., and Mexico City. She has taught courses on governance in East Asia at Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University and international studies at Waseda University, Tokyo. Ms. Mizutori graduated in law from Hitotsubashi University, Tokyo, and obtained a diploma in international studies from the Diplomatic School of Spain. Born in 1960, Ms. Mizutori is married.