Phillipines: Network to launch 'Scaling Up Resilience in Governance' consortium
By Jennifer P. Gaitano:
Butuan City – The People’s Disaster Risk Reduction Network (PDRRN) is set to launch the Caraga region’s Scaling Up Resilience in Governance (SURGE), a consortium consisting of Christian Aid, Handicap International, Oxfam and Plan International and funded by the European Union humanitarian aid, and will be holding the workshop on Republic Act 10121 or the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010 to partner stakeholders on February 5-6, 2015 at Y Hotel, this city.
This is part of the Rights, Risks, and Resilience – a policy series on inclusive community-based DRR (ICBDRR).
“The workshop aims to identify the issues related to DRR policies and practices; strengthen the understanding and approach of inclusive community-based disaster risk reduction based on good practices and innovations and based on the identified issues, develop key messages and actions in relation to the sunset review and the Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (WCDRR) in March 2015 in Sendai, Japan,” bared Esteban Masagca, PDRRN Executive Director.
Masagca also stressed that SURGE brings successful experiences on ICBDRR to more communities to be transformed and established into local, regional and national policies and practices. The learnings from these experiences, according to him, are drawn from the combines experience on DRR and humanitarian aid of SURGE partners and other agencies. These learnings can also be useful reference for other high-risk anddiverse communities in the Philippines and beyond.
“SURGE is implemented through a suite of activities with diverse stakeholders over 18 months, up to November 2015 by Community-building, Change in policies, Capacity-building, and Creative communications,” added Masagca.
It was also learned that the main beneficiaries of SURGE are national DRR agencies, local government units (LGUs) and affected communities in high-risk and poor areas in the country. Agencies that are deeply involved in DRR will be engaged as SURGE advances improvements in policy and practices. LGUs and affected communities, DRR practitioners including civil society organizations and DRR champions will benefit from the series of peer-to-peer and mentoring sessions on ICBDRR while the greater public can learn more and influence others about the value of ICBDRR especially in a disaster-prone country like the Philippines.