The Government of the Philippines and United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) jointly hosted the 2024 Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (APMCDRR) held from 14th to 18th October, 2024 at the Philippine International Convention Center in Manila, the Philippines. The conference was officially inaugurated by Bongbong Marcos, President of the Republic of Philippines.
- Theme 2024 APMCDRR: “Surge to 2030: Enhancing ambition in Asia Pacific to accelerate disaster risk reduction”.
- It is the main platform in Asia and Pacific region to monitor, review and enhance cooperation for the implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (SFDRR) 2015-2030 at the regional level.
Note: The International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction (IDDRR) is annually observed on 13th October across the world, to promote a global culture of risk awareness and disaster reduction.
- Theme of IDDRR 2024: “Empowering the next generation for a resilient future”.
2024 APMCDRR:
i.The conference witnessed the participation of governments, international, national and civil society organizations, academia and various stakeholders groups from Asia and the Pacific, which is the most-disaster prone region in the world.
ii.The conference was organised around 3 thematic pillars and 4 cross-cutting themes:
3 Thematic Pillars:
- Practical solutions to enhance disaster risk reduction financing;
- Leaving no one behind: gender responsive and inclusive disaster risk governance; and
- Localization and urban and rural resilience.
4 Cross-Cutting Themes:
- Science, technology and knowledge;
- multi-stakeholder coordination and collaboration;
- convergence and coherence;
- full private sector engagement.
iii.The conference was focused on accelerating progress in Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and provides an opportunity to share innovative solutions and make actionable commitments to reduce disaster risk.
India at 2024 APMCDRR:
The Indian delegation at APMCDRR 2024 was led by Union Minister of State (MoS) for Home Affairs, Nityanand Rai .
- While addressing the conference, Union MoS Nityanand Rai emphasized India’s commitment to implementing inclusive and proactive actions to alleviate the impact of disasters, in line with the Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi’s 10-point agenda for DRR strategies.
India’s Efforts to DRR:
i.Key Priority Areas in DRR: Union MoS Nityanand Rai underscored the key priorities of India in DRR: Early Warning System (EWS) and Early Action, Disaster Resilient Infrastructure and Financial Provisions (DRIFP)for DRR.
ii.Adopting Modern Technologies for EWS: He emphasized on adopting the modern technologies for EWS such as: the Common Alerting Protocol (CAP) and Cell Broadcast Systems, setting up of the Indian Tsunami Early Warning Centre (ITEWC), which provides Tsunami advisories to 25 Indian Ocean countries for last-mile connectivity.
iii.CDRI: He informed that Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI), an initiative led by India, which now has 47 member nations, is offering technical assistance and capacity-building for investing in disaster-resilient infrastructure.
iv.Financial Assistance: He also informed that the 15th Finance Commission (FC) of India has allocated USD 30 billion for the National Disaster Risk Management Fund (NDRMF) and State Disaster Risk Management Fund (SDRMF) for the Financial Year 2021-22 (FY22) to FY26.
About United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR):
It is a member of the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Group (UNSDG).
Special Representative of the Secretary General (SRSG) for DRR– Kamal Kishore
Headquarters- Geneva, Switzerland
Established- 1999
