The Asian Disaster Reduction Center (ADRC) was established in Kobe, Hyogo prefecture, in 1998 with the mission of enhancing the disaster resilience of its member countries, building safe communities, and creating a society where sustainable development is attainable. ADRC works to build disaster-resilient communities and to establish networks among countries through personnel exchanges and a variety of other programs.

ADRC addresses the issue of disaster risk reduction from a global perspective in cooperation with a variety of United Nations (UN) agencies and international organizations, such as the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and Pacific (UNESCAP), the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN).