SGI Co-Organizes Event at Disaster Risk Reduction Forum

From March 10 to 12, the World BOSAI Forum 2023 (International Disaster and Risk Conference) was held in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. Scholars and civil society representatives discussed how to promote the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030. On March 12, Musicians Without Borders (MWB) and SGI (Soka Gakkai International) co-organized a session titled “Approach to Psychosocial Recovery after Catastrophic Events.” Nobuyuki Asai, director for Sustainable Development and Humanitarian Affairs of the SGI, presented on the Soka Gakkai’s “Building Bonds of Hope” concert series in the Tohoku region of Japan. The initiative began following the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami, and its volunteer choirs and orchestras have performed in other disaster-stricken areas in Japan including Kumamoto, Okayama, and Hokkaido. Fabienne van Eck, regional program manager for the Middle East for the Musicians Without Borders (MWB), introduced MWB’s music teaching curriculum used in post-conflict situations, and Professor Takeo Fujiwara of Tokyo Medical and Dental University spoke on the impact of adverse childhood experiences on children’s mental health.