2007 UN Sasakawa Award for Disaster Reduction Announced

October 5, 2007 -- Professor Yoshiaki Kawata from the Disaster Prevention Research Institute in Japan, and Tony Gibbs, a highly respected Caribbean engineer in building safety, have been selected as the two 2007 Sasakawa Laureates according to the UN/ISDR announcement.

Professor Kawata, a prominent professor in the field of disaster risk reduction at Kyoto University, was awarded for his promotion of research and knowledge about past disasters. In particular he has highlighted the bitter lessons learned from the Great Hanshin Awaji Earthquake (Kobe) which killed more than 6400 people and is considered one of the most dramatic and costly earthquakes in
Japan’s history.

Jointly receiving the Sasakawa Laureate Award is Tony Gibbs, a national of Grenada and Barbados who is an advisor to the UN and Panamerican Health Organisation (PAHO WHO) Disaster Mitigation Advisory Group on hospital safety. A pioneer in promoting safe architectural and engineering designs resistant to natural hazards, Mr Gibbs has made a significant contribution to hazard awareness and disaster risk reduction in the Caribbean and throughout the Americas, particularly in the field of hospital safety.

The UN Sasakawa Award for Disaster Reduction is one of three prestigious prizes established in 1986 by the Nippon Foundation in Japan. The UN Sasakawa Jury which chooses the Laureates is composed of representatives from the five continents.