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Self Report 2018

The self-report on WHS Commitments below is organized according to the 24 transformations of the Agenda for Humanity. It is based on commitments pledged at the time of report submission. Click on the 'Expand' symbol to expand each section and read the reporting inputs by transformation.

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  • 2E
    Uphold the rules: a global campaign to affirm the norms that safeguard humanity

    Joint Commitments (1)

    • Commitment
    • Commitment Type
    • Core Responsibility

    • Soka Gakkai International (SGI) commits to seek the conclusion of a treaty prohibiting nuclear weapons as a partner organization of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), in light of the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of such weapons on our health, societies and the environment.


    • Training
    • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity

    Partners: International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons

    Core Commitments (1)

    • Commitment
    • Core Responsibility
    • Commit to promote and enhance respect for international humanitarian law, international human rights law, and refugee law, where applicable.
    • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity
    1. Highlight the concrete actions taken between 1 January – 31 December 2017 to implement the commitments which contribute to achieving this transformation. Be as specific as possible and include any relevant data/figures.

    • Soka Gakkai International (SGI) representatives participated in the United Nations conference to negotiate a legally binding instrument to prohibit nuclear weapons, leading towards their total elimination, held in March and in June-July 2017. SGI submitted working papers to the negotiations and made public statements, highlighting elements deemed important to strengthen the text of the treaty.
    • SGI worked with other like-minded partner organizations of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) to advocate for the importance of peace and disarmament education, as awareness-raising for the public will help underpin and maintain the principles and norms of this treaty globally.
    • SGI coordinated collective efforts by the faith community by issuing a statement by "Faith Communities Concerned about Nuclear Weapons" (March 2017) and coordinating interfaith vigil in the mornings of the negotiating conference.

    2. A. How are you measuring progress toward achieving your commitments? Only the categories selected by the organisation will be seen below.
    • Through multi-stakeholder processes or initiatives (e.g. IASC, Grand Bargain, Charter for Change, etc).
    B. How are you assessing whether progress on commitments is leading toward change in the direction of the transformation?

    SGI's commitment in this area is very specific: to seek the conclusion of a treaty prohibiting nuclear weapons. The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons was adopted in July 2017. ICAN was awarded the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of its efforts.

    3. A. Please select no more than 3 key challenges faced in implementing the commitments related to this transformation. Only the categories selected by the organisation will be seen below.
    • Buy-in
    • Strengthening national/local systems
    • Other: Shifting the security discourse based on deterrence to one focused on human security
    B. How are these challenges impacting achievement of this transformation?

    Despite challenges the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) was adopted in July. Advocacy and educational efforts at the national and local levels are needed to promote the signing and ratification so that the treaty will enter into force.

    4. Highlight actions planned for 2018 to advance implementation of your commitments in order to achieve this transformation.

    In 2018, SGI will focus on the efforts toward the early entry into force of TPNW by helping raise public awareness of the dangers of nuclear weapons and expanding support for the treaty through grassroots education. 

    5. What steps or actions are needed to make collective progress to achieve this transformation?

    ICAN is currently focused on strengthening national campaigns. SGI works toward the early entry into force of the TPNW by promoting the signing and ratification of the treaty, while also devising strategies to shift discussions and policies within nuclear umbrella states. 

    6. List any good practice or examples of innovation undertaken individually or in cooperation with others to advance this transformation.

    The largest Dutch pension fund, ABP has decided to end its investments in producers of nuclear weapons, citing the TPNW as a decisive factor for the decision. Takoma Park, Maryland became the first U.S. city to declare its compliance with the TPNW.

  • 4B
    Anticipate, do not wait, for crises

    Core Commitments (2)

    • Commitment
    • Core Responsibility
    • Commit to accelerate the reduction of disaster and climate-related risks through the coherent implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, as well as other relevant strategies and programs of action, including the SIDS Accelerated Modalities of Action (SAMOA) Pathway.
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need Invest in Humanity
    • Commit to improve the understanding, anticipation and preparedness for disaster and climate-related risks by investing in data, analysis and early warning, and developing evidence-based decision-making processes that result in early action.
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need
    1. Highlight the concrete actions taken between 1 January – 31 December 2017 to implement the commitments which contribute to achieving this transformation. Be as specific as possible and include any relevant data/figures.

    Furthering its commitment to establish a network of faith-based organizations (FBOs) in Asia within a year and to promote dialogue with national and local governments toward collaborative response in emergency. Soka Gakkai International (SGI) continued to join dialogue among FBOs toward the creation of a network of faith-based organizations (FBOs). This culminated in conducting joint advocacy or organizing joint events on several occasions including the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction held in Cancun, Mexico in May.

    SGI and some other FBOs co-organized an international conference called “Localising Response to Humanitarian Need” in Colombo, Sri Lanka, in October of 2017. About 150 participants attended the conference and discussed how to realize good partnerships among FBOs and with other stakeholders.

    At the World Bosai Forum held in Sendai, Japan, in November 2017, SGI and other FBOs co-organized a side event highlighting the role of FBOs in disaster risk reduction and relief activities. In September, five FBOs in Asia agreed to form a new coalition called “The Asia Pacific Faith Coalition for Sustainable Development,” covering disaster-related issues as well, and this was launched at the end of March 2018 at a meeting in Bangkok.

    Furthering its commitment to provide 10,000 citizens in a year with an opportunity to learn about humanitarian issues including disaster risk reduction by using its educational tool, SGI continued to show a panel exhibition and hold relevant seminars at the grassroots level in Japan and Mexico. The total number of viewers of such events nearly reached 10,000. In both countries SGI’s local organizations conducted relief activity after a huge disaster and some hundred individual members voluntarily joined the activity.

    2. A. How are you measuring progress toward achieving your commitments? Only the categories selected by the organisation will be seen below.
    • By applying processes/indicators developed to measure WHS commitments specifically.
    B. How are you assessing whether progress on commitments is leading toward change in the direction of the transformation?

    It would be good if it was possible to count how many FBOs are joining a DRR framework at the local level, and how many individuals are aware of the framework or a relevant strategy.

    3. A. Please select no more than 3 key challenges faced in implementing the commitments related to this transformation. Only the categories selected by the organisation will be seen below.
    • Multi-stakeholder coordination
    • Preparedness
    • Strengthening national/local systems
    B. How are these challenges impacting achievement of this transformation?

    Local stakeholders might not be able to appropriately tackle a humanitarian crisis if they are the only actors addressing it. If multi-stakeholder coordination is built up in advance, preparedness will be greatly improved because various entities can complement each other.

    4. Highlight actions planned for 2018 to advance implementation of your commitments in order to achieve this transformation.

    In August 2018, the Asia Pacific Faith Coalition for Sustainable Development will hold its second meeting in Tokyo. This will help us to conduct joint activities for disaster risk reduction in the Asia Pacific region.

    The exhibition “Restoring Our Humanity,” co-produced by the Asian Disaster Response and Reduction Network and SGI, will be displayed for the first time in some countries in 2018 so it can encourage more citizens in those countries to be aware of issues and take action by themselves.

    5. What steps or actions are needed to make collective progress to achieve this transformation?

    Within Asia, multi-stakeholder dialogue at various levels should be promoted before a huge disaster takes place. Most important is at the local community level where relief activity is conducted in reality. Municipal or national level dialogue will help create a strategy for promoting such local community level dialogue.

    6. List any good practice or examples of innovation undertaken individually or in cooperation with others to advance this transformation.

    In Japan huge earthquakes could hit many parts of the country. Arrangement of shelters in advance is critical in numerous municipal offices. In this context some thousands of religious facilities have been officially designated as public shelters for emergency. The number is still increasing.

    Keywords

    Disaster Risk Reduction