Update: 2:30PM SIX students of Marist Brothers High School have been invited by the Government of Japan as Youth Ambassadors for World Tsunami Awareness Day.
Accompanied by their teacher Tagutu Raicebe, the Youth Ambassadors will depart for Japan on Sunday November 20, 2016.
In an interview Ms Raicebe said the boys from Kaunikuila will be representing Fiji for the ‘High School Students Summit on World Tsunami Awareness Day’ which will be held in Kuroshio Town, Kochi Prefecture, Japan.
“The summit has been organised for the purpose of training future leaders on Disaster Risk Reduction Measures,” Ms Raicebe said.
She said Kuroshio town was an ideal location for such a summit as the town had launched a variety of initiatives regarding disaster risk reduction based on the idea that no one must be sacrificed to such disasters.
“We are grateful for the foresight in organizing such a summit for high school students as it would instill in them a sense of responsibility and a sense of purpose knowing that they can effectively contribute towards reducing the impacts of natural disasters,” Ms Raicebe said.
“We in Fiji tend to overlook the fact that our tectonic location makes us vulnerable to earthquakes and tsunamis.”
“Despite the rarity of Tsunamis (the last one to hit the country was way back in 1953), we must not rest on our laurels – but take proactive actions,” she said.
Ms Raicebe commended the National Disaster Management Office, the Mineral Resource Department and other supporting agencies working in Disaster Risk Reduction.
However, Ms Raicebe said DRR was not just the responsibility of the government and these agencies, but should be the responsibility of every citizen.
She said each country attending the summit had to come up with an action plan on how to reduce the risks of natural disasters.
“I believe the boys are excited to share their action plan and are also looking forward to broadening their knowledge on other Disaster Risk Reduction Measures that will be shared by students of other countries.”
The Ambassador of Japan, Takuji Hanatani, will host a send-off reception for the Youth Ambassadors this week.
