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North East shares disaster expertise with Japan

A delegation of North East experts and dignitaries is travelling to Japan on Monday for an event which brings together disaster risk management experts from opposite ends of the globe. Northumbria University’s Disaster and Development Centre is joining forces with partners at Kyoto University in Japan in a move which will lead to a working relationship involving academics, senior fire officers and emergency planning executives.

Senior officials from Newcastle City Council and Northumberland and Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Services together with leading academics from Northumbria and Kyoto Universities, will attend a three-day conference in Japan looking at preparing for and managing disasters around the world. Keynote speakers will discuss climate change and humanitarian aid, sustainable development, urban emergency management and the role of local government in the UK in managing local disasters.

Professor Kel Fidler, Vice Chancellor of Northumbria University, says: “We are very proud of our Disaster and Development Centre which has developed an international reputation for excellence. We are looking forward to signing a Memorandum of Understanding with Kyoto University and believe both countries will benefit enormously from this important event which will bring together academic experts and policy makers to build preparedness and robustness against some of the biggest potential disasters facing our world.’’

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .