The UN agency for disaster risk reduction warned that the Asia-Pacific region is still developing disaster risk reduction strategies, with disaster risk predicted to increase by 40 percent by 2030.
“These grim projections show that we are slipping away from the goals set out in the 2015 Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, a global disaster prevention plan. Instead of reducing risks, we are increasing them,” Marco Toscano-Rivalta, UNDRR Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific, said at a press briefing at the Asia-Pacific Ministerial for Disaster Risk Reduction in Manila on Thursday.
The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction is an international agreement created to help countries plan for, respond to, and recover from disasters.
Mr. Ribalta stressed the need to further strengthen the region's disaster preparedness and response, saying, “Most fundamentally, we need to focus on prevention and risk reduction.”
The urgency of accelerating collective action on disaster risk reduction is a highlight of APMCDRR 2024, a biennial multi-stakeholder event organized by UNDRR. The Philippines will host the conference in October.
The conference will focus on ensuring sustainable and predictable financing for reducing disaster risk and resilience, ensuring inclusive risk reduction and participation in decision-making and implementation, integrating disaster risk reduction at the local level, and strengthening early warning systems.
“APMCDRR 2024 gives us an opportunity to come together, share what we have learned, and strengthen the partnerships we need to move forward,” Department of Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo Loyzaga, who also serves as chairperson of APMCDRR 2024, said at a press conference.
He said the conference was “an opportunity to continue our progress, build on our successes and strengthen our resolve to protect our communities and ecosystems.”
