COUNTRY MODEL WITH “A WHOLE-OF-SOCIETY” APPROACH TO DRRM
PHL Govt, CSOs, Private Sector, Other Stakeholders Attend Global Dialogue on Disaster Risk Reduction in Mexico
25 May 2017 CANCUN, MEXICO – Known globally as a country model that adopts a “whole-of-society” approach to disaster risk reduction and management (DRRM), the Philippine Government, together with country stakeholders from the civil society organizations (CSOs), local government units (LGUs), private sector and academe, among others, will represent the Philippines as one team in the upcoming global dialogue on disaster risk reduction (DRR) in Cancun, Mexico.
The Philippine Delegation, headed by Undersecretary Ricardo B. Jalad, Executive Director of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) and Administrator of the Office of Civil Defense, and co-headed by Ambassador Evan P. Garcia, Permanent Representative of the Philippine Mission to the UN and Other International Organizations in Geneva, is expected to highlight at the Global Platform the country’s achievements in DRR and, in particular, in the implementation of the Sendai Framework and share its experiences, challenges in strengthening the country’s resilience to disasters.
“Our participation in the Global Platform is a strong demonstration of the Philippine Government’s commitment to the implementation of the Sendai Framework. We value the work of the UNISDR and as a member of the international community, we want to show to the world that we attach great importance to our role as a global member that seriously takes action in DRR, primarily because DRR is about strengthening our resilience as a community of nations, but ultimately because DRR is about saving human lives,” Undersecretary Jalad said.
Members of the Philippine Delegation will participate in various sessions that discuss the four priorities for action of the Sendai Framework on understanding disaster risk; strengthening disaster risk governance to manage disaster risk; investing in DRR for resilience; and enhancing disaster preparedness for effective response and to “build back better” in recovery, rehabilitation and reconstruction.
The global dialogue called “The Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction” is the world’s important international forum that gathers governments and stakeholders to discuss DRR. Slated to begin on Wednesday, 24 May, with an expected 5,000 participants composed of policy makers and disaster risk managers, the Global Platform this year will make the first time that the international community will review the global progress in the implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, which was adopted in Japan in 2015.
The Global Platform will culminate on 26 May with an outcome document that intends to reflect what was discussed in various sessions and the identified specific, concrete and practical measures to drive Sendai Framework implementation further over the following two years.
The Global Platform holds biennial sessions. To date, there have been four, in 2007, 2009, 2011 and 2013, all of them held in Geneva. The 2015 edition did not take place, given that that year (in March) the international community gathered at the Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction, where the Sendai Framework for DRR 2015-2030 was negotiated and adopted. END