Loren pushes women’s role in disaster risk reduction

MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Loren Legarda chaired yesterday the High Level Multi-stakeholder Partnership Dialogue on Mobilizing Women’s Leadership in Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) in Sendai, Japan.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe delivered the keynote speech at the same event, one of the important dialogues at the 3rd United Nations World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction.

“Through this forum, we want to be able to contribute to making the Post-2015 Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction a document that would not only urge nations to mobilize women’s leadership in DRR, but also guide them on how this commitment could be effectively carried out,” Legarda said in a statement.

She said that stereotypical gender roles have no place in the critical fight against disaster risk and climate change.

“It is time that we take action by putting women at the forefront of DRR efforts. Women are not victims. They constitute a formidable first line of defense against disaster risks. We must acknowledge their capacity to take action and lead,” she said.

Legarda, who sponsored the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010 and authored the Climate Change Act of 2009 as well as several laws on women empowerment, said by allowing women to become part of DRR and management efforts, the risks that they face are also being addressed.

She added that the Post-2015 Framework to the Hyogo Framework for Action should be “a tool towards a dramatic shift in the degree and scope of women’s involvement in climate change and disaster risk reduction efforts.”

“From the quiet but steady work they perform at their communities, women should move into the frontlines of delivering decisive action towards a sustainable and resilient planet,” she said.

Climate Change Office

In Manila, the World Bank has urged the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to create a Climate Change Office within the agency to complement the positive steps that have been taken on the issue.

The World Bank, through its sector leader for environment and natural resources Christophe Crepin, said the agency should take the “necessary steps” in arranging with the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) the creation of a Climate Change Office.