A 13-man Philippine Delegation, led by Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Corazon “Dinky” Soliman, took part in the first ever World Humanitarian Summit (WHS) in Istanbul, Turkey on 23-24 May 2016, to share its vast experience in disaster risk reduction and management.
“Our participation in this Summit is a commitment to continue the Philippines’ long tradition of humanitarian assistance… This tradition lives on,” said Sec. Soliman as she delivered the Philippine statement during the first day of the United Nations (UN)-organized summit.
Along with Sec. Soliman were senior officials from the National Disaster and Risk Reduction Management Council (NDRRMC), Department of Finance (DOF), Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the Philippine Embassy in Turkey, National Mapping and Resource Information Agency (NAMRIA) and the Office of Civil Defense (OCD).
The delegation was also joined by representatives from civil society organizations such as the National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP), Philippine Support Services Agencies (PHILSSA), People’s Disaster Risk Reduction Network (PDRRN), Disaster Risk Reduction Network (DRRNet) Community Disaster Preparedness (CDP), UFS, Socio-Pastoral Institute, PKKK, and the Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation (PDRF).
Commitments
The Philippines delivered the following core commitments: (1) to address the root causes of conflict by sustaining political engagement; (2) to uphold international human rights and humanitarian laws to protect civilians in conflict situations; (3) work on the passage of its Internally Displaced Persons Bill and fulfill the objectives of Children’s Emergency Relief and Protection Act, passed into law to improve the care and protection of children affected by disasters; (4) to accelerate the reduction of disaster and climate-related risks through sharing of risk information and operational data sets, capacitating local actors governments and CSOs and harnessing in-country resources, prioritizing disaster-resilient
and community-driven infrastructure and continuing its Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) engagement with the private sector; continue with the Conditional Cash Transfer Program to empower and enhance the resilience of poor families; and, (5) to enhance financing and social support to vulnerable communities, implement disaster risk financing and insurance strategies, increase investments for risk resilience, and mobilize climate financing.
“We call on all to put people at the heart of the agenda for Humanity, uphold their dignity and empower them so that no one is left behind,” Sec. Soliman concluded the country’s plenary statement.
Rich experience
The Philippine delegation and local CSOs that participated in the various Roundtable discussions, special sessions and side events cited the Philippines’ advanced and rich experience in DRRM efforts and continued to advocate the following key concepts and practices, namely: a rationalized planning system for DRRM following the “one assessment, one plan” strategy; stronger coordination at different governance levels; the centrality of local people and humanitarian actors; states as the main drivers of DRRM; focus on disaster-resilient infrastructure; continuing engagement with the business sector
with added emphasis on financing; accessibility issue of persons with disabilities; innovation in disaster risk financing and insurance strategies; and piloting new solutions to
urban crises.
A video of Secretary Dinky Soliman delivering the Philippine statement in the World Humanitarian summit can be viewed in the following link:
http://webtv.un.org/watch/corazon-soliman- philippines-world- humanitarian-summit-istanbul-2016- member-states- and-stakeholders- announcements/4907734504001
The WHS , which gathered 9000 participants from 173 countries, including 55 heads of States and Governments, and hundreds of private sector representatives, civil society and non-governmental organizations, was a global response to the call of the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to chart a new and coherent multi-stakeholder course in address present-day humanitarian crises.##
