Media can help reduce disaster risk – UN

MANILA, Philippines — The United Nations yesterday underscored the important role of media in reducing disasters in the Philippines and other parts of the world, as the country hosts the five-day Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (APMCDRR) at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City.

UN Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction Special Representative and UNDRR head Kamal Kishore also acknowledged the contributions of the Philippines in efforts to mitigate the impact of climate change.

“Just as we are only five years away from the Sendai Framework, I can’t think of a better place to organize this conference,” Kishore said, adding that the Philippines is known for its focus on communities in dealing with disasters in the country.

“Working across different paths of the government, bringing civil society organizations makes the Philippines a very unique, very inspiring host for the APMCDRR, just as we are just five years away from achieving the targets we committed in 2015,” Kishore added.

In his speech, Kishore said the principle of leaving no one behind is very important in any disaster risk reduction program.

“This is something the Philippines exemplifies but this is something we really need to do on scale,” he added.

He also urged the media to report on what needs to be done to reduce the occurrence of disasters.

“I would urge you, I would also make a plea to talk about what needs to be done to reduce risk, to reduce the occurrence of disasters in the first place and to make the unseen seen. What are the factors that are making us more and more vulnerable to losses from disaster and what can we do, how can we reduce those risks,” Kishore added.

He stressed it is really important to discuss things before a disaster happens.

“We don’t get credit for something that did not happen but that is the real world, not let disaster happen. Earthquakes will occur, typhoons will occur, floods will occur but it is not entirely inevitable that losses will occur. We have to ensure that these natural hazards do not lead to losses,” he added.

Kishore also described the Philippines as a “lighthouse” in the disaster risk efforts.

“If I were to describe (the Philippines) in just one word, it is ‘lighthouse,’ The work that is being done in the Philippines can be a lighthouse to the rest of the region and the world,” he added.

“We just don’t talk about how vulnerable the Philippines is but how ahead of the curve the Philippines is in managing those risks,” he added.

“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,” Environment Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga said.

Loyzaga said strategies should be crafted to address the most pressing risks in the region, including natural hazards such as tropical cyclones and earthquakes and some man-made disasters.

The APMCDRR, a biennial event, is the main platform in Asia and the Pacific for monitoring, reviewing and enhancing cooperation for the implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 at the regional level.

The conference runs until Oct. 18. More than 4,000 representatives from 69 countries are attending the event.