SM Supermalls, in partnership with the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in the Philippines and ARISE Private Sector Alliance for Disaster Resilient Societies — Philippines, hosted a webinar last October 13 on disaster risk reduction (DRR) in celebration of the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction.
Titled “Working Together Beyond Borders: A Webinar in Observance of the International Day for Disaster Risk Resilience,” the virtual event focused on the critical role that cross-border partnerships play in DRR strategies and initiatives, featuring key representatives from various organizations in the public and private sectors.
In their opening messages, SM Prime Holdings chairman of the Executive Committee and ARISE-Philippines co- chair Hans Sy, and ARISE-Philippines co-chair VADm. Alexander Pama each underscored the importance of partnering with DRR-relevant organizations within and outside the country.
This is in line with Target F of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (SFDRR), which aims to “substantially enhance international cooperation to developing countries through adequate and sustainable support to complement their national actions for implementation” of the framework by 2030.
“Over the past six years, ARISE-Philippines has continuously undertaken programs and activities in line with its mandate to energize the private sector to advance the agenda for a disaster resilient Philippines,” Sy said. “For this year, however, and relative to this year’s Target F of the SFDRR, we have started to reach out to international organizations and other governments represented here in the Philippines to pursue a more wide-ranging network of partners to reach our common objective towards disaster resilience for our country. This activity today is one of those efforts to achieve this target.”
The Korean Embassy in the Philippines emphasized its long-term partnership with the Philippines for DRR, which is a great example of the kind of partnerships that Target F of the SFDRR aims to achieve for developing countries.
