THANK YOU VERY MUCH AND GOOD MORNING.

I’D LIKE TO, OF COURSE, CITE OUR CO-CHAIR AND, IN FACT, THE LEAD IN TERMS OF A SPECIFIC GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENT THAT TAKES THE LEAD IN DISASTER RISK REDUCTION MANAGEMENT, SECRETARY GILBERTO “GIBO” TEODORO.

THE ASIA-PACIFIC REGION IS ONE OF THE MOST DISASTER-PRONE REGIONS. IN FACT, IT’S KNOWN AS THE MOST DISASTER-PRONE REGION IN THE WORLD. HOWEVER, WE ARE ALSO HOME TO THE FASTEST-GROWING REGIONAL ECONOMY IN THE WORLD. WE HOST 60 PERCENT OF THE EIGHT BILLION GLOBAL POPULATION AND THE DIVERSITY OF CULTURE AS WELL AS NATURAL RESOURCES AND SCIENTIFIC AS WELL AS TECHNOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE DOES RESIDE AS WELL IN THIS PARTICULAR REGION. AND SO IT IS A DISTINCT HONOR FOR OUR COUNTRY, THE PHILIPPINES TO BE HOSTING THE ASIA-PACIFIC MINISTERIAL MEETING IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE UN OFFICE FOR DISASTER RISK REDUCTION.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.