Phl ready to host disaster response summit

MANILA, Philippine - The Philippines, one of the countries most vulnerable to calamities, is prepared to host an international dialogue on disaster response in September.

The assurance was made by Cecilia Rebong, Philippine Permanent Representative to the United Nations (UN), during a meeting with humanitarian groups in Geneva last week.

“The Philippines is ready to host the 2nd Disaster Response Dialogue in Manila on September 11-12, 2014,” Rebong said in a statement posted on the Official Gazette Tuesday.

The dialogue is a platform that aims to bring together governments and humanitarian organizations involved in disaster response to enhance their cooperation.

It is a brainchild of the government of Switzerland through its Agency for Development and Cooperation, the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the International Council of Voluntary Agencies, and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

In its website, the Disaster Response Dialogue said it envisions a world “where national, regional and international disaster response actors work effectively together, so that affected populations receive timely and effective humanitarian assistance.’

The dialogue is also involved in identifying common challenges, exchanging best practices, and developing new ideas that will enable disaster-hit areas to recover.

In the same meeting, Rebong talked about the Philippines’ experience during the onslaught of typhoon “Yolanda,” which left more than 6,200 people dead and P36-billion worth of properties damaged last November.

“We need to engage in strategic partnership within and among actors of the UN system, IOs (international organizations), NGOs (non-government organizations), the Red Cross-Red Crescent and member-states, and to exchange best practices and lessons learned,” she said.

“We also need to reach out to new partners, including the academe, the private sector, and the media.”

Rebong said the Disaster Response Dialogue in Manila would be the best forum to address these needs.

The Philippines ranked third among global disaster risk hotspots in the 2012 World Risk Report, with more than half of its population exposed to natural hazards.

The country also ranked ninth in terms of vulnerability to climate change, according to the Maplecroft Climate Change Vulnerability Index 2014.

About 20 tropical cyclones, five to seven of which are destructive, enter the Philippines every year. - Alexis Romero with Ronald Mendoza