World Tsunami Awareness Day 2024: A Milestone in Youth Engagement and Resilience
New York, November 5, 2024 – The United Nations Headquarters came alive as over 120 participants gathered for the annual World Tsunami Awareness Day (WTAD), marking 20 years since the devastating Indian Ocean Tsunami of 2004. This year’s commemoration, themed “Youth Engagement, Education, and Empowering the Next Generation,” showcased the vital role of young people in disaster risk reduction and tsunami preparedness.
Co-organized by the Permanent Missions of Chile, Japan, the Maldives, and Thailand, along with support from the Co-Chairs of the Group of Friends for Disaster Risk Reduction (Australia, Indonesia, Norway, Peru), the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), this event highlighted the importance of integrating youth perspectives into global and local strategies. It underscored how education and community-led initiatives can fortify resilience against tsunami threats, especially in vulnerable coastal regions.
WTAD 2024 featured a rich programme, beginning with opening remarks from senior UN officials, including Ms. Rabab Fatima, Under Secretary-General and High Representative for LDCs, LLDCs, and SIDS, Mr. Abou Amani from UNESCO, and Special Representation of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction Mr. Kamal Kishore. A recorded message from H.E. Mr. Iwaya Takeshi, Japan’s Foreign Minister, set the tone, commemorating the progress made and the work still ahead.
The panel discussion titled “Building Future Resilience: Youth Empowerment and Education in Tsunami Preparedness” gathered Ambassadors, experts, and youth leaders. Panelists shared insights into youth-led initiatives that have successfully bridged traditional knowledge with modern DRR strategies, the importance of inclusive preparedness and mitigation, and the role of academia and research in advancing advocating for continued partnerships between educational institutions, governments, and international bodies.
The event highlighted a clear message – Youth engagement in DRR is indispensable. Fostering leadership and equipping young people with knowledge and tools, communities worldwide can strengthen their collective ability to respond to future disasters.
The event also launched the “Tsunami: Sea Change for Resilience” exhibition co-organized with the UNESCO Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) and the Government of Japan. This exhibition tells the powerful accounts of tsunami survivors alongside historical and contemporary artworks that capture the sea change of perspective that the aftermath brought, with unprecedented global collaboration on disaster resilience.
The exhibition was launched globally in Manila (Philippines), Paris (France), Geneva (Switzerland) and New York (USA). Attendees, including leaders and students, explored stories of survival, resilience, and community collaboration. This exhibition calls for everyone to be tsunami ready - recognize the warning signs, be protected by early warning systems and be able to act quickly and get to high ground. It also calls on the countries for resilient infrastructure so livelihoods are not destroyed and build back better when tsunamis hit.