Department of Foreign Affairs Acting Secretary Evan P. Garcia met with the top United Nations Officials in charge of Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) during their visit to the Philippines. The Acting Secretary met with UN Undersecretary-General (USG) for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Baroness Valerie Amos on February 27 and Special Representative of the UN Secretary General (SRSG) for Disaster Risk Reduction Ms. Margareta Wahlstrom on February 28.
The UN Officials visited the Philippines from February 25 to 28 and February 27 to March 4, respectively, to assure the Philippine government and people of the UN’s continuing support for Yolanda recovery and disaster resilience efforts. Both USG Amos and SRSG Wahlstrom visited the Central and Eastern Visayas.
USG Amos discussed the enhancement of the Philippines’ partnership with the UN on humanitarian cooperation and disaster management, particularly with the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the Humanitarian Cluster Approach. SRSG Wahlstrom spoke on the Philippines’ participation in the upcoming World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction to be held in Sendai, Japan in March 2015, and the country’s engagement with the global DRR agenda.
Acting Secretary Garcia expressed the Philippines’ appreciation for the UN’s assistance for the country’s DRRM efforts, and pledged the DFA’s continuing support for the Philippines’ close partnership with the UN system for DRRM cooperation at the global, regional and national levels.
Photo and article courtesy of DFA press release, 04 March 2014.