Women involvement sought in disaster prevention

TOKYO – United Nations Development Program (UNDP) administrator Helen Clark has called on governments to tap more women to lead in disaster risk management, prevention and relief programs.

“UNDP agrees that women must be included at every stage of decision-making in disaster prevention, disaster relief, and post-disaster reconstruction,” Clark said in her speech at the first World Assembly for Women in Tokyo (WAW! Tokyo 2014) here last Saturday.

Clark said countries should tap the knowledge and skills of women, who are often ignored during the planning and preparedness phases.

“We must strive for the equal participation of women in decision-making – at all levels of government and public administration,” Clark said.

She said Japan has great experience in disaster risk reduction, and is a leader in recognizing that women must play a key role in disaster risk management.

Sen. Loren Legarda also stressed the role of women in disaster risk reduction and raised the issue of economic empowerment of the female population during a group meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the WAW.

Legarda, the only Filipino official who participated in the high-level symposium, along with six other officials from Asia met Prime Minister Abe after the opening program of the assembly last Friday.

“Women have a wealth of capacities that need to be harnessed. We need to tap these vital resources to achieve sustainable development, reduce disaster risks and promote resilience in our communities,” Legarda said.

She said women could be on the frontlines of climate change and disaster risk reduction.

Legarda also stressed the need to address the vulnerability of women to disasters during the group meeting.

“We must address the vulnerability of women by empowering them and engaging them in disaster risk reduction and management, an area where Japan can help the Philippines,” she said.

In the Philippines, a number of disaster resilience and recovery efforts led by women are truly inspiring, Legarda said.

She said women lead efforts in building resilience through rehabilitation of mangrove forests, tree-planting activities, solid waste management workshops, and other environment-friendly initiatives.