7 February 2012- In her televised briefing for the international donor community on the Second Emergency Revision of the Philippines (Mindanao) Humanitarian Action Plan 2012, United Nations (UN) Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in the Philippines Jacqueline Badcock praised the strong leadership of the Philippine Government in partnership with the UN Humanitarian Country Team in the wake of Typhoon Sendong (Washi).
She emphasized the excellent national coordination by the government with the UN, foreign donor governments and organizations, and foreign and domestic civil society groups.Ms. Badcock likewise recognized efforts being made by the Philippines in preparing policy and legislative measures to enhance national disaster risk reduction, and expressed hope that these would be uniformly implemented at the local level.
Philippine Permanent Representative to the United Nations and Other International Organizations in Geneva, Ambassador Evan P. Garcia, thanked governments and organizations that have supported Philippine emergency relief and recovery efforts in response to Sendong.
Ambassador Garcia stressed that the Philippine Government would continue to cooperate closely with the UN and interested donors in pushing forward with the humanitarian drive following Sendong's aftermath.
Ambassador Garcia noted the success of joint efforts in this regard thus far, within the framework of the UN's cluster approach system.
He said international disaster response cooperation showed that the spirit of multilateralism remained dynamic and responsive to global needs.
The briefing was organized by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). It was held at the UN Headquarters in Geneva on February 03.
The Second Revision calls for a total of US$ 39 million in additional assistance. END
