Dec 01, 2025
DRM Class Welcomed Former Head of UNDRR Mami Mizutori as Guest Lecturer
OBJECTIVE.
On December 1, 2025, Ms. Mami Mizutori, specially appointed professor and strategic management advisor of Tohoku University, was invited to give a special lecture to the Disaster Risk Management (DRM) class. Ms. Mizutori is the former Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction (SRSG) and the head of the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR). She also currently serves as a Managing Director for the Association for Aid and Relief, Japan (AAR Japan).
During her lecture, Ms. Mizutori skillfully wove together her distinguished global career with significant domestic and international incidents. She discussed these events not only from the perspective of disaster risk management but also in the context of gender equality, climate change, SDGs, conflict resolution, and other social issues addressed within the MSDA program. The class was thoroughly engaged by her insightful presentation and became deeply involved in the ensuing discussion.
Anita (MSDA second-year student)
The lecture was an interesting overview of disaster risk management, shifting the focus from merely responding to disasters toward proactive risk reduction and resilience. It highlighted the growing nature of global risks such as the systemic risks from climate change and COVID 19, and the importance of multilateral collaboration through frameworks like the Sendai framework. She emphasized that preventing disasters and building resilient societies requires understanding risk, strengthening governance, investing in resilient infrastructure, and involving all segments of society, especially women. She also gave the diverse strategies used by the United Nations both for disaster risk reduction and response in its member states through its various organizations. Also, sharing her evolving career journey with us was a very inspiring experience for me and I would love to attend any seminar/lecture she gives in the future.
Pipo (MSDA first-year student)
Yesterday lecture was very insightful and valuable. It was a great opportunity to attend a class with a distinguished guest lecturer from Tohoku University with extensive diplomatic experience. I gained important knowledge related to my research on UN multilateralism, and the professor shared interesting ideas on treaty verification. These insights are highly relevant to addressing current issues like cyber scams affecting multiple countries.
During her lecture, Ms. Mizutori skillfully wove together her distinguished global career with significant domestic and international incidents. She discussed these events not only from the perspective of disaster risk management but also in the context of gender equality, climate change, SDGs, conflict resolution, and other social issues addressed within the MSDA program. The class was thoroughly engaged by her insightful presentation and became deeply involved in the ensuing discussion.
Anita (MSDA second-year student)
The lecture was an interesting overview of disaster risk management, shifting the focus from merely responding to disasters toward proactive risk reduction and resilience. It highlighted the growing nature of global risks such as the systemic risks from climate change and COVID 19, and the importance of multilateral collaboration through frameworks like the Sendai framework. She emphasized that preventing disasters and building resilient societies requires understanding risk, strengthening governance, investing in resilient infrastructure, and involving all segments of society, especially women. She also gave the diverse strategies used by the United Nations both for disaster risk reduction and response in its member states through its various organizations. Also, sharing her evolving career journey with us was a very inspiring experience for me and I would love to attend any seminar/lecture she gives in the future.
Pipo (MSDA first-year student)
Yesterday lecture was very insightful and valuable. It was a great opportunity to attend a class with a distinguished guest lecturer from Tohoku University with extensive diplomatic experience. I gained important knowledge related to my research on UN multilateralism, and the professor shared interesting ideas on treaty verification. These insights are highly relevant to addressing current issues like cyber scams affecting multiple countries.
