The Australian Business Roundtable for Disaster Resilience & Safer Communities is one of three finalists for the United Nations Sasakawa Award for Disaster Reduction, to be announced in Japan tomorrow.

The award will be presented at the third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in Sendai. The conference takes place every 10 years.

The roundtable comprises the CEOs of IAG, Munich Re, Australian Red Cross, Investa Property Group, Optus and Westpac.

IAG CEO Mike Wilkins says being a finalist is welcome recognition of the roundtable’s role in elevating the issue of natural disaster management.

“We hope the [roundtable’s] collaborative approach of business, government and the non-profit sector inspires other nations in their efforts to reduce the significant costs of natural disasters,” he said.

The Sasakawa Award for Disaster Reduction is given to an individual or institution that has sought to reduce disaster risk in their community. It was established in 1986 by Nippon Foundation founding chairman Ryoichi Sasakawa. A record 88 nominations from 44 countries were received for this year’s award.

The roundtable was founded in 2012 to support a national approach to resilience. It seeks to influence public policy through evidence-based reporting on the cost of disasters.