Marcos says PH to host Asia-Pacific conference on disaster risk reduction

VIENTIANE - The Philippines will be hosting the Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction this October, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. said on Wednesday. 

“This gathering will bring together stakeholders from across the region to strengthen cooperation, share best practices, and develop policies to help mitigate the devastating effects of natural disasters, especially those exacerbated by climate change,” Marcos said during the plenary session of the 44th ASEAN Summit. 

Marcos said as part of the efforts to bolster cooperation on disaster risk reduction and management, ASEAN must focus on the intersection of climate change and biodiversity. 

“Protecting our rich biodiversity is essential to maintaining the ecosystems that support all of our life,” Marcos said. 

He also mentioned the Board of the Fund for responding to Loss and Damage, which the Philippines is proud to play host to. 

The Philippine President said this provides a crucial mechanism in facilitating the flow of climate finance to countries that are most vulnerable to climate change. 

“We hope that our hosting will focus more attention in the Asia-Pacific region, where many countries struggle with limited resources in responding to the effects of climate change,” he said. —LDF, GMA Integrated News