Philippines Red Cross: Gordon presides over high-level session at UN DRR conference

Recognizing his vast knowledge, experience and commitment to disaster risk reduction and community resilience building, Philippine Red Cross Chairman Richard J. Gordon was invited to preside over a high-level session at the Third United Nations’ World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction held in Sendai, Japan from March 13 to 18.

Though a bit under the weather, Gordon dynamically shared what the PRC has done to strengthen its disaster preparedness, resilience and capacity building during the Session on Enhancing Community Resilience and Safety “through integrated disaster preparedness and risk reduction” held on March 17 at the Tokyo Electron Hall Miyagi 601 Large Meeting Room.

The session, attended by 150 delegates from Red Cross and Red Crescent National Societies worldwide and other UN agencies, was organized by the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies to promote the efforts and contribution of the 189-member National Societies in building community resilience with the aim of exploring other ways of building effective partnerships at all levels to further strengthen community resilience.

During his opening remarks, Gordon presented the PRC Program on Red Cross 143 in the community which is the basic strategy to develop community resilience.

“The 44 volunteers’ (1 leader and 43 members) of the Red Cross 143 main task to be the first to assess, report, disseminate early warning messages, and response to any disaster if anything should happen in their community. They will also be the one who are expected to implement disaster risk reduction by learning how to predict, plan, prepare and practice. The 4P’s are the key elements in risk reduction,” he said.

The PRC chairman has likewise endorsed the One Billion Coalition which urges international partnerships among all sectors - governments, non-government organizations, academe [sic], media, communities and individuals, to promote community resilience in their respective groups.

Panelists from various RCRC Societies such as Turkish Red Crescent, Kenyan Red Cross, Colombian Red Cross, Sri Lanka RC, Palestine RC and other organizations like UN Volunteers (UN), Food and Agriculture Association (FAO) shared their thoughts and practices in their respective countries in terms of community resilience.

To recap the experiences shared during the open forum, Gordon emphasized the FAO report which said farmers will have to produce 70% more food by 2050 to meet the needs of the world’s expected 9-billion-strong population. This means that to meet the world’s future food needs, a major “sustainable intensification” of agricultural productivity on existing farmlands will be necessary.

He also cited the IFRC’s “building better” program in order to prepare for future disasters and Japan’s experience where it still has not fully recovered from the Great Sendai Earthquake or Great Tōhoku Earthquake which struck its northeastern coast on March 11, 2011.

In closing, the PRC chairman underscored the importance of adopting a culture of resilience which is suited to the unique culture of each community. Doing so makes communities better prepared to handle the recurring cycle of disaster and poverty.

He also stressed that there can be no development in a community unless it becomes resilient, adding that there should be a culture of change in the members of the community and that people should be made a part of the process of change.