Nat’l youth consultation on DRR held

Around 50 children from all over the Philippines presented a creative unified statement calling leaders and concerned groups for the deliberate involvement of children in the Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) agenda.

They asked key government agencies, including the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council, Office of Civil Defense, and the National Youth Commission to document children affected by disasters, account the economic impact of disasters to children, raise awareness on policies and campaigns promoting DRR, allocate budget for child-focused DRR activities, engage children in the local DRR councils, and in planning and mapping assessments and implementation.

The children gathered to discuss the important role of Filipino youth in mitigating disasters and promoting resilience. UN children’s agency UNICEF and World Vision organized the National Consultation with Children and Youth on Disaster Risk Reduction to gather youth voices for the Asian Ministerial Conference for Disaster Risk Reduction (AMCDRR)’s 8th year to be held in Ulaanbatar, Mongolia.

“It is undeniable that children are the most vulnerable during disasters and emergencies. If we don’t involve them to be resilient and more proactive, all our DRR initiatives could only go so far. Youth participation is pivotal in ensuring our efforts are adaptive to their context and capacity to mitigate disaster risks,” World Vision’s National Director Rommel Fuerte said.

The workshop gave the young participants an opportunity to learn the Sendai Framework of Action, a global agreement comprised of 7 targets which aim to collectively track and reduce the loss of lives and increase national disaster resilience among participating countries, including the Philippines, by 2030.