11 October 2014 – The Philippines will play host to two international conferences on humanitarian assistance and disaster response (HADR) next week, underscoring the country’s growing role in shaping the HADR agenda on the world stage.
The Disaster Response Dialogue (DRD) is convening a global conference in Manila from October 13 to 14 on the theme “Improving trust and cooperation for more effective humanitarian responses.” The conference will be hosted by the Philippine government, in partnership with the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) chaired by Australia.
The Disaster Response Dialogue, initiated in 2011 by Switzerland through its Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), the International Council of Voluntary Agencies (ICVA) and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), brings together governments and humanitarian organizations involved in international disaster response to improve trust and mutual cooperation. It envisions a world where national, regional and international disaster response actors work effectively together, so that affected populations receive timely and effective humanitarian assistance, on the basis of their needs and with respect to human dignity.
The DRD global conference presents a unique opportunity to gather, for the first time, governments and humanitarian organizations which do not have regular interactions at the international level. It is a platform on which a broad range of stakeholders involved in disaster preparedness and response can share lessons and best practices with the view towards producing a set of concrete recommendations for a more inclusive, principled and effective humanitarian action.
Immediately following the DRD global conference is the Nansen Initiative’s fourth Regional Consultation which will also be held in Manila from October 15 to 17. The Consultation is co-organized by the Philippine Government, the Nansen Initiative and the Ateneo School of Government. It will revolve around the theme “Human Mobility in the Context of Disasters and Climate Change in Southeast Asia.”
Launched in October 2012 by the Governments of Switzerland and Norway, the Nansen Initiative is a state-led, bottom-up consultative process intended to build consensus on the development of a protection agenda addressing the needs of people displaced across international borders by natural hazards, including the effects of climate change.
Participants in the Nansen Initiative’s fourth Regional Consultation include representatives from states, international organizations, non-governmental organizations, civil society, academic institutions and other key actors. The overall objectives of the consultation are to learn more about displacement and human mobility dynamics in the region, identify the region’s specific challenges related to disasters and displacement, and develop concrete, practical, policy and programmatic outcomes to enhance the region’s overall preparedness and response to these challenges.
The two events follow the country’s hosting of the ASEM Manila Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction and Management and the ASEAN High Level Conference on the Assistance for the Recovery of Yolanda-Affected Areas (ARYA) in June and August 2014, respectively. The hostings demonstrate the Philippines’ resolve to contribute to global discussions on dealing with disasters post-Haiyan. END