Study Room, Malacañan Palace
October 13, 2023
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. received Her Excellency Mami Mizutori, Special Representative of the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General (SRSG) for Disaster Risk Reduction, in a courtesy call at the Study Room in Malacañan Palace.
Coinciding with the celebration of the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction today, SRSG Mizutori officially launched the 2024 Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (APMCDRR) —the largest biennial conference on disaster risk reduction in Asia-Pacific —which will be hosted by the Philippines in October next year.
During the meeting, President Marcos Jr. and SRSG Mizutori discussed strategies to accelerate the country’s disaster risk reduction and the preparations for the APMCDRR. On 26 September 2023, the Chief Executive signed the Administrative Order No. 09, creating the Inter-Agency Committee with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and Department of National Defense (DND) as the lead agencies for the 2024 APMCDRR.
According to the DENR, next year’s conference is expected to draw over 3,000 high-level international delegates. The event will serve as a primary regional platform, bringing together global leaders to monitor, review and enhance cooperation for the implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 at the regional level.
Adopted at the Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in Sendai, Japan on 18 March 2015, the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 aims to achieve the substantial reduction of disaster risk and losses in lives, livelihoods and health, as well as in economic, physical, social, cultural and environmental assets of persons, businesses, communities and countries over the next 15 years.
SRSG Mizutori, who also heads the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), has likewise served as keynote speaker for the Barangay Leaders for Resilience Forum dubbed, ‘Barangayan para sa Kalikasan at Bayang Matatag’, which was held yesterday wherein over 500 barangay leaders from across the country have showcased their respective communities’ practices in environmental protection, climate action and disaster risk reduction.
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