The Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General (SRSG) for Disaster Risk Reduction H.E. Mami Mizutori is set to visit the Philippines this October to formally kick off the 2024 Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (APMCDRR) which will be hosted by the Philippine Government in October 2024. During her visit, SRSG Mizutori is set to meet with President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos, Jr. and cabinet secretaries to discuss the Philippines’ hosting of the conference and strategies for accelerating disaster risk reduction in the country.
President Marcos signed Administrative Order No. 09 on 26 September 2023 creating the Inter-agency Committee for the 2024 APMCDRR which designated the Secretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and Secretary of the Department of National Defense (DND) to be the co-chairs and to lead the preparations.
The launch of Asia Pacific’s largest biennial conference on disaster risk reduction will be held on 13 October 2023 and will include representatives from the national and local government, private sector, academe and scientific institutions, civil society, international development partners, and other stakeholder groups.
The conference next year is expected to draw over 3,000 high-level international delegates. The APMCDRR serves as the primary regional platform which brings 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
SRSG Mizutori, who also heads the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), will also serve as keynote speaker at the Barangay Leaders for Resilience Forum entitled “Barangayan para sa Kalikasan at Bayang Matatag,” to be held on 12 October 2023. This is co-organized by the DENR, DND Office of Civil Defense (OCD), Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), and the National Resilience Council (NRC).
Over 300 barangay leaders from the Province of Bataan, Province of Rizal, Ormoc City, and Siargao, Surigao del Norte are expected to showcase their respective good practices in the fields of environmental protection, climate action, and disaster risk reduction. These local government units (LGUs) are the pilot sites of the DENR’s Project TRANSFORM (Transdisciplinary Approach for Resilience and Environmental Sustainability through Multistakeholder Engagement). This forum will also commemorate the 32nd anniversary of the passage of the Local Government Code of the Philippines which recognizes local government units as the frontliners for disaster risk reduction.
SRSG Mizutori’s official visit to the Philippines coincides with the celebration of the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction observed globally every 13 October.
