Local Government Units Spearhead Efforts Towards Disaster Resilience
At the Asia Pacific Ministerial Conference for Disaster Risk Reduction (APMCDRR), LGUs highlight how they are investing in concrete strategies to achieve improved disaster resilience.
As typhoons and natural disasters continue to threaten Filipino communities, local government units (LGUs) have invested in disaster reduction strategies to safeguard both lives and livelihoods across the country. These initiatives are part of the government’s directive to enhance disaster resilience and will be one of the highlights of the upcoming 2024 Asia Pacific Ministerial Conference for Disaster Risk Reduction (APMCDRR).
The APMCDRR is a biennial event convened by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR). The conference, which will be hosted by the Philippines for the first time this October 14-18 at the Philippine International Convention Center, has over 4,000 participants from 69 countries.
Department of Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga shares the critical value of the conference, saying, “With the theme, Surge to 2030: Enhancing ambition in Asia-Pacific to accelerate disaster risk reduction, the ministerial conference aims to provide LGUs with a platform and network to accelerate their progress in reducing disaster risks through knowledge-sharing and good practices, new tools and ways to access innovative financing.”
The Philippines and Disaster Reduction
Most recently, the Philippines was ravaged by super typhoon Carina, which caused widespread flooding. A state of calamity was declared in the National Capital Region and the typhoon also caused significant destruction across Northern and Central Luzon as well as the Visayas, the Zamboanga Peninsula and other regions across the country. According to the Department of Agriculture (DA) total agricultural damage amounted to PHP 3.04 billion, including damage to irrigation systems and crops such as rice and corn, as well as fisheries, livestock and poultry.
The APMCDRR seeks to accelerate progress in the reduction of disaster risk by bringing together governments, the private sector, academia and all stakeholder groups so that the loss of lives and damage caused by disasters such as Carina can be mitigated.
The 2024 APMCDRR, which is co-organized by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, the DENR and the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management-Office of Civil Defense (NDRRMC-OCD), also plays a significant role in the future of disaster resilience.
The APMCDRR is the main platform in Asia and the Pacific to monitor, review and enhance cooperation for the implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 at the regional level.
Global Best Practices to Bridge Local Gaps
The APMCDRR will provide an important opportunity to share innovative solutions in the world’s most disaster-prone region. Some of these innovative solutions include strategies from the Caribbean for hurricanes, Japan for geohazards and landslides, Bangladesh for monsoon flooding, and the Philippines for multi-hazard early warning systems. There will also be a session focusing on best practices, “Enhancing Capacity and Resources for Local Resilience” which will prove invaluable in assessing local disaster resilience and efficient resource allocation.
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