President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Tuesday called for redoubled efforts to accelerate disaster risk reduction framework implementation and harmonized approaches for a sustainable and climate-resilient future.

“It also remains crucial to align our goals under this framework (Sendai Framework) with the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and the Paris Agreement,” Marcos said during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (APMCDRR) in Pasay City.

“We must harmonize our approaches and pursue meaningful actions under these mandates to secure a sustainable and climate-resilient future,” he said.

According to the President, facing calamities and disasters is a common struggle across the Asia-Pacific region, with each nation having to navigate the balance between continued economic growth and dealing with the ever-present threat of disasters.

“We must strive to create a future where the need for recovery becomes less frequent, as we lay the foundations for a safer, more adaptive, inclusive, and disaster-resilient region,” he said.

Highlighting the theme, “Surge to 2030: Enhancing ambition in Asia-Pacific to accelerate disaster risk reduction,” the President said nations are called to lead the global effort to reduce disaster and climate risks, protect our people, and build sustainable economies.

He said the surge to 2030 involves key steps: significantly scaling up investments and develop financing mechanisms in disaster risk reduction; embracing inclusion to cover various sectors; acknowledging that climate change and disasters are catalysts for human displacement; and adopting innovation at the heart of everyone’s strategy.

Other key steps include coordination and collaboration as the cornerstones of whole-of-nation approach; engaging all stakeholders to collectively identify the needs, address the gaps, and anticipate future risks; coordinating and collaborating as cornerstones of whole-of-nation approach; fostering open dialogue to bring sectors together; putting great value on private sector engagement to advance investments and practices in various areas; and advocating for stronger international legal frameworks that guide disaster prevention and response.

The APMCDRR is a biennial conference that convenes governments, international and national institutions, civil society organizations (CSOs), and other relevant stakeholders to collectively address challenges and reduce disaster risks.

It is the main platform in Asia and the Pacific to promote coordination and cooperation on DRR and to monitor, review, and enhance cooperation for the implementation of the Sendai Framework for DRR 2015-2030 at the regional level.

The Philippines partnered with the United Nations Office for DRR (UNDRR) to host the 2024 APMCDRR from October 14-18, 2024.

The Philippine-hosted conference is the first APMCDRR since the May 2023 High-Level Meeting of the UN General Assembly on the Midterm Review of the Implementation of the Sendai Framework for DRR 2015-2030 and its Political Declaration and policy directives. Presidential News Desk