20 September 2022, BRISBANE – Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo Loyzaga is currently in Brisbane, Australia as the Head of the Philippine Delegation to the 2022 Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (APMCDRR). The delegation includes officials from the DENR, Department of Foreign Affairs, Department of National Defense – Office for Civil Defense, Department of Finance, and representatives from the private sector and civil society.
The APMCDRR is the largest Asia-Pacific biennial gathering focused on disaster risk reduction, resilience, and the implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction. The co-hosts for this year are the Government of Australia and the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR).
Secretary Loyzaga held bilateral meetings with leaders and dignitaries of other countries and international organizations. On September 18, she met with the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction and Head of the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDDR), Her Excellency Mami Mizutori and UNDRR Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific Chief Mr. Marco Toscano Rivalta. During the meeting, Secretary Loyzaga underscored the commitment of the Philippine government to regional cooperation to strengthen capacity on disaster risk reduction and addressing climate change. SRSG Mizutori recognized the whole of society approach taken by the Philippines and congratulated the Secretary on the country’s successful model for public-private partnership on disaster risk reduction.
Together with NDRRMC Executive Director and OCD Administrator Undersecretary Raymundo Ferrer, she held a bilateral meeting with Australia Head of Delegation Senator Murray Watt, Minister of Emergency Management, and concurrently Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry to discuss opportunities for collaboration between the two countries.
The Secretary also delivered the Philippine Statement in the Ministerial Forum held on September 19 and was a Panelist in the Plenary Session on Risk Informed Investments and Scaling Up Financing for Disaster Risk Reduction on September 20.###
