THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THAT KIND INTRODUCTION. ISANG MAKA-KALIKASANG UMAGA PO SA INYONG LAHAT. GOOD MORNING.

UNDRR SECRETARY-GENERAL AND SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE OF THE SECRETARY-GENERAL FOR DISASTER RISK REDUCTION KAMAL KISHORE; UNDRR REGIONAL OFFICE FOR ASIA AND THE PACIFIC CHIEF MARCO TOSCANO-RIVALTA; OUR CO-CHAIR IN DISASTER RISK REDUCTION MANAGEMENT SECRETARY GILBERTO “GIBO” TEODORO OF THE DEPARTMENT OF NATIONAL DEFENSE, OUR COLLEAGUES FROM THE DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS AND PARTNERS; OUR UNDERSECRETARIES IN THE DENR; OTHER COLLEAGUES IN THE GOVERNMENT, AND FRIENDS IN THE MEDIA,

WELCOME TO THIS MORNING’S MEDIA RECEPTION. WE ARE DEEPLY GRATEFUL TO SEE YOU ALL, FROM OUR LOCAL MEDIA PARTNERS HERE AGAIN SINCE THE MEDIA LAUNCH, AND WE ARE ALSO EQUALLY HAPPY TO WELCOME OUR INTERNATIONAL MEDIA GUESTS. THIS FOR US SIGNALS THE START OF WHAT WE HOPE WILL BE A FRUITFUL AND CONSTRUCTIVE PARTNERSHIP AS WE ARE IN THIS CRUCIAL CHAPTER IN THE ASIA-PACIFIC REGION’S JOURNEY TOWARDS RESILIENCE AS WE COME TOGETHER FOR THE ASIA-PACIFIC MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE ON DISASTER RISK REDUCTION 2024, WHICH OFFICIALLY BEGINS TOMORROW.

AS MANY OF YOU ARE WELL AWARE, THE ASIA-PACIFIC REGION HOLDS PROFOUND POTENTIAL. WE ARE HOME TO OVER 60% OF THE WORLD’S POPULATION, THIS REGION IS RICH IN ASIAN CULTURES, IN NATURAL RESOURCES, IN TRADITIONAL AND SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE, DIVERSE ECOSYSTEMS, AND INFRASTRUCTURE THAT SUPPORTS SOME OF THE WORLD’S LARGEST MEGACITIES. AND YET, WHILE IT IS IMPORTANT THAT WE VALUE HOW TRULY BLESSED OUR REGION IS, IT IS ALSO CRUCIAL THAT WE RECOGNIZE THE SIGNIFICANT RISKS WE FACE. WE ARE RECOGNIZED BY THE UN AND OUR DEVELOPMENT PARTNERS AS THE MOST DISASTER-PRONE REGION IN THE WORLD, FROM VULNERABILITY AND EXPOSURE, OUTPACES OUR CAPACITY. THE RISKS WE FACE, AS WE WILL ALL HEAR IN THE COMING DAYS, ARE EXPECTED TO INCREASE IN THE VERY NEAR FUTURE.

THE MAIN ROLE OF MEDIA HAS ALWAYS BEEN TO SHAPE PUBLIC AWARENESS AND UNDERSTANDING, FOR INFORMED DECISION MAKING, AND IN THE COMING DAYS THIS ROLE WILL BE NOTHING SHORT OF PIVOTAL. YOU WILL SERVE AS THE BRIDGE BETWEEN WHAT HAPPENS WITHIN THESE CONFERENCE HALLS AND HOW THE PUBLIC, BOTH IN THE PHILIPPINES AND ACROSS THE GLOBE, UNDERSTANDS THE URGENT NEED TO INTENSIFY AND ACCELERATE OUR EFFORTS IN ORDER TO PROTECT LIVES AND LIVELIHOODS AND PROSPER IN THE COMING DECADES.

WE ARE COUNTING ON YOU TO HELP CONVEY THIS SENSE OF URGENCY AND INSPIRE ACTION BEYOND THESE WALLS. AS WE ALL KNOW DISASTER RISK REDUCTION AND RESILIENCE BUILDING IS A WHOLE-OF-SOCIETY ENDEAVOR. WE NEED EVERYONE TO KNOW, ESPECIALLY OUR LOCAL GOVERNMENTS IN OUR COMMUNITIES THAT DISASTER RISK REDUCTION IS A DEVELOPMENT JOURNEY. IT IS AN INVESTMENT AND EVIDENCE-INFORMED DECISION-MAKING TOWARDS PREVENTION AND PRE-DISASTER RECOVERY PLANNING, AS MUCH AS IT IS FOR EMERGENCY RESPONSE.

OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS, YOU WILL HEAR ABOUT THE STRATEGIES WE ARE CRAFTING TO ADDRESS THE MOST PRESSING RISKS IN OUR REGION, FROM NATURAL HAZARDS SUCH AS TROPICAL CYCLONES AND EARTHQUAKES TO MAN-MADE ONES SUCH AS FOR EXAMPLE, NATURAL TECHNOLOGICAL EVENTS AND THE CONSEQUENCES OF ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION. YOU WILL ALSO WITNESS COLLABORATION BETWEEN GOVERNMENTS, INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS, ACADEMIA, CIVIL SOCIETY, THE PRIVATE SECTOR, AND COMMUNITIES AND PRACTITIONERS—EACH ONE PLAYING A CRITICAL ROLE IN ENSURING THAT WE MEET OUR DISASTER RISK REDUCTION GOALS BY 2030.

LET US ALL TAKE A MOMENT TO PAUSE, CONNECT, AND RECOGNIZE THE RESPONSIBILITY WE ALL SHARE. THE MEDIA IS A VITAL PARTNER OF THIS RESILIENCE JOURNEY, AND YOUR COMMITMENT TO INFORMING AND ENGAGING THE PUBLIC IS INVALUABLE. WE KNOW THE POWER OF STORIES AND HOW THEY CAN SHAPE PERCEPTIONS, INFLUENCE DECISIONS, AND INSPIRE CHANGE. WITH YOUR HELP, WE CAN MAKE DISASTER RISK REDUCTION A STORY OF HOPE, RESILIENCE, AND COLLECTIVE ACTION.

BEFORE I CONCLUDE, I WOULD LIKE TO EXTEND MY HEARTFELT GRATITUDE TO EACH OF YOU FOR BEING HERE, ONCE AGAIN. THE WORK YOU DO—WHETHER IN PRINT, BROADCAST, OR DIGITAL MEDIA—WILL SHAPE THE GLOBAL CONVERSATION AROUND DISASTER RISK REDUCTION. WE ARE HONORED TO HAVE YOU AS PART OF THIS ENDEAVOR, AND I AM CONFIDENT THAT, TOGETHER, WE CAN MAKE THIS CONFERENCE A SUCCESS, NOT JUST IN WORDS BUT FOR ITS LASTING IMPACT ACROSS THE REGION.

THANK YOU ONCE AGAIN, MARAMING SALAMAT PO. MABUHAY AT WELCOME TO THE APMCDRR 2024.