22 November 2013 –Assistant Secretary for European Affairs Maria Zeneida Angara Collinson called for a special focus on the agricultural sector in managing disaster risks in the ASEM High Level Meeting on Disaster Prevention and Relief in Response to Climate Change held from November 18 to 19 in Hanoi, Viet Nam.

Convened more than a week after super typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) struck the Philippines, meeting participants observed a minute of silence in honor of the victims affected by the calamity.

Themed, “Strengthening Asia-Europe Cooperation for Disaster Risk Reduction and Sustainable Development”, the meeting noted that climate change has impacted negatively on sustainable development as seen in the extent of destruction and frequency of disasters in recent years. Participants acknowledged the need to strengthen collaboration and investment in disaster risk reduction and management.

Assistant Secretary Angara Collinson, who delivered the closing remarks of the conference, urged the participants “not to lose momentum but rather, galvanize ourselves to find solutions, systems, innovation and technology to diminish the scourge of disasters, to preserve what we have painstakingly built, indeed, to protect our very lives.”

The Conference adopted several recommendations for disaster risk prevention and response, including the Philippine proposal to mainstream disaster risk reduction in the policies and planning for the agricultural sector citing grave consequences on the poor and vulnerable agriculture-based communities.

The Conference welcomed the Philippines’ hosting of the ASEM Conference on Technology and Innovation for Disaster Risk Reduction and Management and Climate Change Adaptation in September 2014. The Manila Conference next year will build on the proposals made in Hanoi and will follow it through with concrete actions. END