ASEAN

NGOs tell Asean: Prioritize poor in disaster preparedness

Some 40 international and local non-government organizations (NGOs) called on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) to give first priority to the poor and other marginalized sectors in the devising of national disaster preparedness programs.

In a meeting with the Asean secretariat in Jakarta, Indonesia, the NGOs said governments should โ€œimprove the Asean Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response (AADMER) to be more inclusive, gender fair and socially equitable in its implementation.โ€

The AADMER is Aseanโ€™s legally binding instrument in line with the provisions of the Hyogo Framework of Action (HFA) that came into force on December 24, 2009.

HFA is a United Nations treaty requiring governments to take up measures on disaster risk reduction.

Oxfam Great Britain, an international aid and development organization, urged for initiatives that encourage and give more opportunities and mechanisms to women since disasters tend to affect women more.

The NGOs also identified the elderly, children, and people with disability as part of vulnerable groups that could โ€œparticipate meaningfully in the process of disaster risk reduction, particularly in planning and decision-making.โ€

Save the Children Fund, an NGO that focuses on childrenโ€™s rights and welfare, said marginalized groups could also play an effective role in planning and implementing programs on climate change adaptation.

Asean nations include the Philippines, Burma/Myanmar, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Brunei, Laos, Cambodia, Singapore and Malaysia.

In the last two years, the Philippines and Burma suffered the harsh impact of natural disasters linked to climate change.

These include devastating typhoons like Ondoy, Pepeng and Parma that hit the Philippines last year, killing more than 1,000 persons and affecting 3.9 million more.

Burmaโ€™s cyclone Nargis meanwhile resulted in the deaths of more than 100,000 people in May 2008.

Source: http://dateline.ph/?p=6823

Mail from: Ms. Wahyuningrum (Yuyun)

By: DateLine Philippines
When: 7/2/2014

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