Biggest Gathering of Disaster Risk Reduction Experts in Sendai

Sendai, Japan- Leaders from 186 countries and Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) experts from various sectors gathered at the opening ceremony of the 3rd United Nations World Conference in Disaster Risk Reduction on March 14. United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon addressed the delegation of 4,000, emphasizing the need to invest heavily in DRR as disaster-related annual economic losses now exceed US$300 billion.

Emiko Okuyama, Mayor of the City of Sendai, welcomed the delegates of the conference and thanked the global community for the support that the city received after the East Asia Earthquake on March 11, 2011. Hosting this conference also signifies how the city is able to bounce back after the devastation that claimed over 20,000 lives.

Throughout the conference, best practices of organizations and countries on DRR will be presented through exhibitions, forums and discussions.

Addressing the Hyogo Framework of Action

Ministerial meetings discussing updates on the Hyogo Framework of Action will be held in the next couple of days. The Hyogo Framework of Action is a working plan on how to reduce disaster losses from a multi-sector approach. This was initially drafted in Hyogo, Kobe, Japan in 2005.

Displaced due to Climate Change

In one of the public forums, the Nansen Initiative will be addressing the pressing concern of people who are displaced due to disasters and climate change. Every year, millions of people in the world are forced to move away from their homes because of disasters and effects of climate change. The Nansen Initiative is prioritizing this issue so that it may be included in the final document of the Hyogo Framework of Action.
 
Women’s role in Disaster Risk Reduction

 
In his keynote speech during the High-level Partnership Dialogue: Mobilizing Women’s Leadership in Disaster Risk Reduction, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said “One of the major projects that will be undertaken through this initiative is the launch of the Training to Promote Leadership by Women in Disaster Risk Reduction. Furthermore, at the World Assembly for Women in Tokyo to be held this summer, one of the themes will be Women and Disaster Risk Reduction.”

Coincidentally, heading the Philippine delegation in the conference are both women, Senator Loren Legarda and Social Welfare and Development Secretary Dinky Soliman, who delivered the country’s report on DRR.

Recognized as UN Champion on DRR for Asia Pacific, Senator Legarda co-chaired the dialogue, emphasizing the women’s role in disaster resiliency, one of the developments in the Hyogo Framework for Action on its first decade. Legarda stressed that women should be positioned as forefront decision makers for DRR efforts. Through the post-2015 framework for DRR, gender, age and disability sensitivity will be pushed globally.

Philippine Delegation in Sendai

No less than seventy-nine Philippine contingents flew to participate in the conference. Aside from Legarda and Soliman, the delegation includes National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council Executive Director USEC Alexander Pama, PAGASA Administrator Dr. Vicente Malano, Climate Change Commissioner Lucille Sering, Assistant Secretary for Education Reynaldo Laguda, and Philippine Red Cross Chairman Dick Gordon.

ASEC Laguda presented a national framework on Comprehensive School Safety, pushing disaster management curriculum in over 47,000 schools in the country. He explained, “We aspire for students having the capacity to save themselves and be equipped with knowledge, skills and an orientation of preparedness that they can share with their families and their immediate community.” Laguda then finished his speech by reiterating the major role of education and community engagement in achieving a resilient environment.

Dr. Mahar Lagmay also shared Department of Science and Technology’s multi-hazard tools such as Project NOAH (Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards), which highlights maps that identify areas prone to floods and storm surges, and LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging Project), a computer-assisted analyses that identify exact areas prone to landslides. Lagmay also introduced WebSafe, a newly developed tool that provides visualization on the possible extent of a disaster and its impact to the populace. This was adapted from Indonesia’s InaSAFE in collaboration with the World Bank-Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR).

– With reports from Donna Lina-Flavier and George Gamayo