UNDP beefs up Northern Samar disaster resiliency
The signing of the agreement will pave the way to fruitful cooperation between UNDP and the provincial government.
Daily TribuneThe signing of the agreement will pave the way to fruitful cooperation between UNDP and the provincial government.
CATARMAN, Northern Samar — The United Nations Development Program announced that it is set to implement a program to strengthen disaster resilience in Northern Samar, one of the most typhoon-prone provinces in Eastern Visayas.
UNDP deputy resident representative Edwine Carrie and Northern Samar Governor Edwin Ongchuan signed a memorandum of understanding for the implementation of Strengthening Institutions and Empowering Localities against Disaster and Climate Change program at the Northern Samar provincial capitol.
Carrie said he hopes the SHIELD program will help Northern Samar come up with a "risk-based land use planning as a way to encourage investment planning," adding that the signing of the agreement will pave the way to fruitful cooperation between UNDP and the provincial government.
Ongchuan, on the other hand, said the agreement will help the province in the crafting and implementation of the provincial land-use and development plans that will address climate change and enhance resilience.
"We thank the UNDP for its commitment in helping us attain a zero-backlog in the crafting and implementation of the Comprehensive Land Use Plan and CDPs in the province through its SHIELD program. With this, we can address the gaps that decrease our capacity to develop climate-specific and resilience actions," said Ongchuan.
In a letter to Ongchuan on Thursday, UNDP Resident Representative Selva Ramachandra said the agency is "excited to begin this collaboration that will enhance the resilience of communities in Northern Samar to the impacts of disasters and climate change."
SHIELD program is a six-year initiative that aims to support the Philippine government in building institutional and community resilience to climate change and natural hazards.
"The goal of the SHIELD Programme is to make all people in target communities safer and more resilient to the impacts of natural hazard events and climate change," according to a briefer of the UNDP.
UNDP will implement the program together with a consortium of partners that include the Consortium of Bangsamoro Civil Society, National Resilience Council, Philippine Business for Social Progress and the United Nations Habitat.
The program has an 18-million Australian Dollar funding from the Australian Embassy in the Philippines through its Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to implement "risk-informed and inclusive resilience actions" on the local level.