As the Asia Pacific region is one of the most disaster-prone areas in the world, Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Juanito Victor ‘Jonvic’ Remulla on Monday called on local and regional governments in the Region to “act now and act fast” on disaster risk reduction.

“We hope that through this Assembly, we will secure everyone’s commitment to plan and execute decisive and urgent local actions on disaster risk reduction and management more expediently,” said Remulla

“We all need to act now. We have to act fast,” he added.

Remulla made these statements during the Local and Regional Government Assembly of the 2024 Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (APMCDRR) hosted by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City.

The Midterm Review of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction also stressed the need to strengthen the role of local authorities for multi-hazard risk governance, among others.

Remulla said the DILG, as the Vice Chairperson for Disaster Preparedness of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management, pledges to continue to enhance the capacities of local government units (LGUs) on Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) and Climate Change Adaptation.

He said the DILG will continuously provide policy guidance, technical support and capacity interventions to LGUs to ensure that they are empowered and equipped to lead DRR efforts in their respective jurisdictions.

He reported that 87.87 percent of LGUs have already developed their Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Plans; and 71.05 percent of local governments nationwide have established their Local Climate Change Action Plans.

Moreover, he said 67.93 percent of LGUs have Contingency Plans, and 87.33 percent have approved Community Based Disaster Risk Reduction Plans.

The APMCDRR, with the theme “Surge to 2030: Enhancing ambition in Asia Pacific to accelerate disaster risk reduction”, is the largest biennial gathering which aims to accelerate progress in reducing disaster risk in the Asia-Pacific Region.

Original Article At: https://www.dilg.gov.ph/news/DILG-Chief-Remulla-to-local-and-regional-govts-We-all-need-to-act-now-on-disaster-resiliency/NC-2024-1127