Legarda Hails 2014 Post-Haiyan Tacloban Declaration

Senator Loren Legarda today hailed the 2014 Post-Haiyan Tacloban Declaration, the outcome of the three-day Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Manila Conference held from June 4-6, 2014, as another concrete step towards mainstreaming disaster resilience and building back stronger efforts.

Legarda, ASEM Conference Plenary Speaker on the role of women in disaster risk reduction and management (DRRM), said that the Declaration magnifies the importance of convergence among national and local governments, international and regional organizations, NGOs, private sector, civil society and media to heighten DRRM efforts as they take into account the massive devastation brought by Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) in Philippine communities.

“We welcome the Post-Haiyan Tacloban Declaration with great hope that we all have learned our lessons from the disasters of the past and that this will lead to better disaster resilience efforts,” she said.

The Senator said that the document highlights the need to mainstream DRRM in development planning as well as the importance of building back better and stronger communities that have been affected by disasters.

It also calls on DRRM stakeholders to ensure the protection, empowerment and resilience building of vulnerable groups—women, children, the elderly, differently abled people and indigenous communities.

“The Post-Haiyan Tacloban Declaration will help us in our aim to increase the understanding of disaster and climate science, impacts and policy responses, encourage disaster and climate-proofing of development plans and learn from successful experiences of communities and other countries,” said Legarda.

“It is evident that reducing disaster risks and adapting to climate change have become the greatest humanitarian and development challenges of our time. With the concern and involvement of all nations, we will be able to rise as one human community towards safer, resilient societies,” Legarda concluded.