近年、世界では自然災害が増え続け、被災者は毎年約２億人にもなります。災害がもたらす被害も年々大きくなり、被災死亡者の約９割は開発途上国に集中しています。日本は世界有数の自然災害頻発国として、これまでの被災経験から災害に対応し備える防災の知見を蓄積してきました。また、開発途上国の災害には状況に応じて緊急援助を実施するとともに、その後の復旧･復興対策として再発防止や被害軽減のためのインフラ整備を支援するなど、被災した国や地域の防災対策の強化や減災への努力を促してきました。
独立行政法人国際協力機構（ＪＩＣＡ）と兵庫県は、2007年度から、開発途上国で防災に携わる人材をより効果的に育成する拠点として、神戸東部新都心「ＨＡＴ神戸」にあるＪＩＣＡ兵庫内に「国際防災研修センター」(DRLC／Disaster Reduction Learning Center)を設置しています。
In recent years, natural disasters appear to have increased around the world with annual disaster victims amounting to as many as 200 million. Damage sustained by disasters has increased in scale every year. Disaster casualties in developing countries account for approximately 90 percent of the total. Japan, as one of the world’s natural disaster-stricken countries, has accumulated disaster reduction knowledge based on its past disaster experiences to prepare for future disasters. In addition, Japan has provided disaster emergency aid for developing countries in accordance with the situation, and has supported infrastructure building for preventing the recurrence of disasters and mitigating damage as part of post-disaster restoration and reconstruction measures, in its efforts to facilitate the improvement of disaster reduction measures and its commitment to disaster reduction in affected countries and areas. Since FY 2007, Hyogo Prefectural Government and the Japan International Cooperation Agency（JICA）, an independent administrative institution, have been operating Disaster Reduction Learning Center（DRLC） in JICA Hyogo, which is located in Kobe New Eastern City, HAT Kobe, as a base to more efficiently foster those people