UN cites Albay as model for disaster risk reduction

MANILA, Philippines — United Nations (UN) Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has cited the province of Albay as a model for good practices on disaster risk reduction for this Thurday’s commemoration of International Day for Disaster Reduction.

“Today, on the International Day for Disaster Reduction, we recognize what local governments and communities are doing to protect themselves while building more sustainable towns and cities,” Ban said in a message.

Ban said Albay is among the role “models with good practices,” along with Hyogo Prefecture in Japan; Bangkok, Thailand; Bonn, Germany; Mexico City, Mexico, and Mumbai, India.

Albay was among the local governments which initially signed on to the UN’s campaign on climate change in Bonn, Germany in May. It was among the first to commit to a 10-point checklist to step up investment in urban planning, infrastructure and building safety; to reinforce drainage systems to reduce flooding; and to install early warning systems, among other measures, under a two-year UN campaign dubbed, “Making Cities Resilient: My City is Getting Ready.”

It was Albay governor Joey Salceda who initiated a climate change action as part of a strategy towards economic and social development, urging other local governments to do the same.

Albay is home to 1.3-million people. It has gone through major volcanic eruptions and typhoons, including supertyphoon “Reming” (international name: Durian) in 2006.

For its part, the European Union (EU) cited grants amounting to 2.1-million euros (approximately P127-million) for disaster risk reduction projects in the country this year.

“Disaster preparedness saves lives. The EU has for many years worked to support disaster Risk reduction efforts by helping national and local government agencies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and communities to take effective and sustained measures to help communities prepare themselves against natural disasters,” EU Ambassador Alistair MacDonald said.

“Here in the Philippines, the recent adoption of the Disaster Risk Management Act and of a Strategic National Action Plan (SNAP) for disaster risk reduction will help greatly in ensuring that communities are better prepared for the worst that the weather can bring. The EU is proud to have contributed through its local and international partners to models institutionalized by the Act, and to the preparation of the SNAP itself,” MacDonald said.

The seven new projects to be funded by the EU will be implemented in the next 15 months, including capacity-building activities with local government units, strengthening of early warning systems and public information campaigns. –MADEL R. SABATE, Manila Bulletin