As the 2024 Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (APMCDRR) drew to a close, Department of Environment and Natural Resources Secretary (DENR) Secretary Ma. Antonia Loyzaga has highlighted the indispensable role of international cooperation in strengthening disaster resilience, particularly for vulnerable countries facing the brunt of climate change.
In her speech at the 2024 APMCDRR closing ceremony on Thursday, Oct. 17, Loyzaga stressed the need for partnerships, enhanced financial mechanisms, and shared responsibilities to tackle the increasing risks brought about by climate change and environmental degradation.
She noted that Small Island Developing States (SIDS), Least Developed Countries (LDCs), and Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs) are particularly vulnerable to disasters as she called on the international community to increase support for these nations.
“All of these require international cooperation through a novel and existing partnership of regional and sub-regional entities, country-to-country support mechanisms, and international development partners,” the DENR chief said.
According to Loyzaga, risk governance must be viewed as a shared responsibility across all sectors at all levels.
“The role of the public sector is fundamental in both creating an enabling environment for all stakeholders to deliver their shared responsibilities,” she said.
On local-level action and capacity building, the DENR chief noted that increasing access to finance at the local level and enhancing capacity for risk-informed investment are critical to advancing disaster resilience.
She also emphasized the salience of ecological systems and biodiversity, advocating for strengthened ecological integrity and nature-based solutions as sustainable strategies for climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction.
“The importance of rich trees, ecological integrity, and the role of biodiversity, nature-based solutions, and ecosystem health and services in building resilience is recognized as a practical, integrated, and sustainable approach,” she said.
Loyzaga said that there are key strategic opportunities for businesses to embed disaster risk reduction into their models and supply chains, going beyond business continuity and corporate social responsibility efforts.
“These will have win-win benefits on both business and communities, and resilience and growth and public finances as well. Existing alliances for business, for DRR, and resilience need and can be widened through visionary business leaders and startups as well,” she explained.
She also called attention to gender-responsive Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR), specifically the implementation of the Gender Action Plan to support the Sendai Framework.
“Implementing the Gender Action Plan requires investment in capacity building on the inclusion of women and girls and those of diverse genders at every level of decision-making in DRR,” she said.
“Gender stakeholders are called to support national and local authorities and all stakeholders in its overall implementation.”
With a message of hope, Loyzaga closed the conference, urging stakeholders to continue working towards a resilient and sustainable Asia-Pacific.
“Let us continue to work closely with each other and foster connections we have established at the APMCDRR of 2024,” she said.
“Together, we can surge to 2030 towards an inclusive, sustainable, and resilient Asia-Pacific for the present and for future generations to come.”
Increased financing, collaboration
For his part, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction and UNDRR chief Kamal Kishore said there is an urgent need for expanded financing and collaboration to enhance disaster resilience across the region, underscoring the importance of prioritizing funding for disaster risk reduction and prevention.
“Financing for disaster risk reduction and prevention needs to considerably expand,” he stated, advocating for a shift away from reliance on contingency financing toward proactive investment in risk reduction measures.
He called for “predictable and annual allocations from national budgets,” encouraging donor countries to allocate a larger share of development assistance to DRR and to provide more accessible climate financing for adaptation.
“For donor countries, this means dedicating a larger percentage of your development assistance to disaster risk reduction and offering more accessible climate financing for adaptation. Private capital can and should be further leveraged in addition to ensuring that all business investments strengthen rather than weaken climate and disaster resilience,” said Kishore.
The UN official expressed confidence that the region’s success in enhancing tsunami early warning systems since the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami could serve as a model for replicating similar systems for other hazards and communities.
“This means our goal of protecting everyone on earth through early warning systems is entirely achievable in a short time,” he said.
However, Kishore cautioned that achieving comprehensive coverage will require “political will, coordinated action, sustained support from development partners, and a truly inclusive approach” that engages marginalized groups, including women, persons with disabilities, and indigenous peoples.
Kishore stressed the importance of gaining a deeper insight into disaster risks, advocating for improved accounting of loss and damage as a critical component in developing effective risk reduction strategies.
“Understanding disaster risk in all its dynamic dimensions needs to be fast-tracked together with a stronger accounting of loss and damage. This knowledge is foundational to designing risk reduction measures and to ensuring that the most at-risk people and assets are protected,” he said.
As such, he pointed out the need to merge traditional knowledge with cutting-edge solutions, including artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, to advance analytics and forecasting efforts.
“We can achieve this through a combination of humble, time-tested solutions as well as high-tech solutions. On one end of the spectrum are means such as better protocols for the collection and management of disaggregated data and integrating local and traditional knowledge,” he said.
“And on the high-tech end, this means leveraging emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning to scale up analytics and forecasting models,” he went on.
Kishore thanked the government of the Philippines for its “strong leadership” on the topic of disaster risk reduction.
“Your commitment is an inspiring example for leaders across the world,” he stated.
It was the first time for the Philippines to host the APMCDRR.
Held from Oct. 14 to 17, the 2024 APMCDRR gathered more than 4,000 participants, from 70 countries, at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) in Pasay City.
This year's APMCDRR centered on the theme "Surge to 2030: Amplifying Ambition in the Asia-Pacific to Fast-Track Disaster Risk Reduction."
The 2025 APMCDRR will take place in Geneva, Switzerland.