A resident walks past a house damaged by flooding following heavy rains brought by tropical storm “Sanba” last February 13 in the town of Jaboanga in Agusan del Norte. Four people were killed in the disaster. Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said the Philippines faces the worst natural and human-induced hazards in the region. AFP Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana joined the Asian Ministerial Conference for Disaster Risk Reduction (AMCDRR) in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia one of the main speakers last July 3.

The conference aims to accelerate efforts in the Asian region to reduce and prevent disaster losses through implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, which was endorsed by the UN General Assembly following the 2015 Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (WCDRR).

“Today, we reiterate our collective commitment to the priorities of the Sendai Framework and its seven global targets,” Lorenzana said.

Lorenzana said the Philippines faces natural and human-induced hazards and is exposed to evolving risks related to the changing climate patterns.

“Our primary goal remains to be the protection of lives and prevention of losses in productive assets and protection of our economy. It is our aspiration to ensure safer, disaster-resilient, and climate change-adaptive Filipino communities.” said Lorenzana.

“Our country commits to the use of science, technology, and innovations (STI) in understanding hazards and risks to societies, and in providing science-informed solutions to pervasive but predictable and manageable threats,” also Lorenzana said.

Co-organized by the Mongolian government and the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR), the 2018 AMCDRR is a three-day event attended by 2,500 participants, including representatives from over 50 countries and 1,500 organizations in the Mongolian capital.