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In Less Than 100 Words, Please Describe the Remarkable and Innovative Effort Carried out by the Nominee to Reduce the Impact Of

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In Less Than 100 Words, Please Describe the Remarkable and Innovative Effort Carried out by the Nominee to Reduce the Impact Of In less than 100 words, please describe the remarkable and innovative effort carried out by the nominee to reduce the impact of disasters and build disaster resilience under the theme “Acting As One.” Since its creation in 2008, the Philippine Senate Committee on Climate Change (PSCCC)i has continuously engaged, consulted and coordinated with various sectors and stakeholders towards a common effort to reduce disaster and climate change risks in the country. Its efforts resulted in the expeditious legislation of two landmark laws on disaster and climate risk reduction, namely the Climate Change Act of 2009ii and the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010,iii and enshrined as national policy the mainstreaming of disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation in national development plans, government programs and budgets. In less than 100 words, please describe how the nominee’s actions have heightened awareness about the need to reduce disaster risk. In doing so, please indicate where (local, national, regional or global) the impact of the individual’s or organization’s actions has been felt. The PSCCC endeavored unrelentingly to enhance awareness across all sectors on the importance of reducing disaster and climate risks through public hearings and advocacy forums. With UNISDR, it hosted the launch of GAR-09iv, GAR-11v and the World Bank-United Nations report, ‘Natural Hazards, Unnatural Disasters: The Economics of Effective Prevention,’vi and conveyed their key messages to legislators, policymakers, national agency heads, local chief executives, civil society and private business leaders, diplomatic corps, and media. Internationally, it hosted the UNISDR Consultative Meeting for Asian Parliamentarians on DRR as an instrument for achieving the MDGs in November 2010 in Manila.vii In less than 100 words, please describe how the nominee’s actions resulted in new partnerships that strengthen disaster resilience. If applicable, please describe the nature of these partnerships. In ensuring the implementation of the new laws, the PSCCC, together with UNISDR, engaged key legislatorsviii and local chief executivesix in policy, institutional and systems reforms to strengthen disaster resilience. It facilitated the institutional collaboration and coordination between two lead institutions, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council and the Climate Change Commission, to implement jointly the laws under a partnership called ‘One Against Risk’ forged in February 2011.x These efforts have led to broader collaboration among local chief executives in building disaster-resilientxi and climate-adaptive local governments and in pursuing an integrated river basin-based development planning approach.xii In less than 100 words, please describe how the nominee’s efforts satisfy different elements essential to reducing and mitigating disaster risk. These can include: using a multihazard approach, gender perspective, community participation, cultural diversity, capacity building, technology transfer and training and education. The PSCCC advocated for capacity building of local government units, considered frontliners in planning and implementing programs for disaster resilience. It has begun to distribute and conduct public briefings on the use of geo-hazard maps to provinces and municipalities to facilitate effective local urban planning and critical infrastructure development nationwide.xiii It also produced and distributed handbooksxiv and audiovisual materialsxv on disaster preparedness and climate change to schoolchildren, women’s groups, media, and the general public to encourage volunteerism and community participation. It also engaged the youth in environmental advocacies through nationwide information-education-communication drives and the establishment of school forest parks. xvi In less than 100 words, please describe how the nominee’s work is funded. The work and initiatives of PSCCC have been funded through the regular office budget of the Philippine Senate and the resource support of collaborators and partners which included national government agencies, local government units, and international organizations such as UNISDR, UNDP, AusAid, and the Agencia Española de Cooperacion Internacional para el Desarrollo, among other partner organizations. ENDNOTES iThe Philippine Senate Committee on Climate Change was created in December 2008 through Resolution No. 303 filed by Senator Loren Legarda and adopted by the Senate plenary. It is tasked to deliberate on legislative proposals relating to climate change, to ensure the implementation of laws and the sustainability of initiatives for disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation in the country, and to monitor the country’s compliance with its international commitments relating to climate change and global warming. The creation of this committee reflected the change in mindset in the Senate towards greater concern and commitment for national government action for disaster and climate risk reduction. ii Republic Act No. 9729 | Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines, http://www.gov.ph/2009/10/23/republic-act-no-9729/. iii Republic Act No. 10121, Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines, http://www.gov.ph/2010/05/27/republic-act-no-10121/. iv Global Assessment Report launched in Philippines - UNISDR. v Philippines Government, UNISDR to Launch 2011 Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction in Manila, 26 July 2011 - UNISDR. vi Report paints grim scenario of impact of climate change | The Manila Bulletin Newspaper Online vii The Manila call for action of parliamentarians on applying disaster risk reduction as an instrument for achieving the Millennium Development Goals - UNISDR. Asian Parliamentarian Network consultative meeting: DRR - an instrument for achieving the Millennium Development Goals - Training & Events - Professional Resources - PreventionWeb.net. viii Philippine Parliamentarians Call for Mainstreaming DRR and Climate Change Adaptation in National Budget Legislation http://www.unisdr.org/archive/20854. ix DRR exchange between Japan and the Philippines - UNISDR The outcome of this meeting was the Kobe Resolution of Local Government Officials on Effective Risk Governance in the Philippines http://www.unisdr.org/files/24347_koberesolutionsigned2011.11.24final.pdf. x Philippines: ‘One against risk‘ - Top bodies join forces to combat disasters and climate change http://www.preventionweb.net/english/professional/news/v.php?id=18146. xi The Philippine Senate Committee on Climate Change, together with UNISDR, spearheaded the campaign launch of ‘Making Cities Resilient: My City is Getting Ready’ at a public elementary school in Makati City. Thirteen mayors from Metro Manila, including the mayors of towns and cities hardest hit by Tropical Storm Ketsana, committed to pursuing the ‘Ten Essentials’ under the initiative ‘One Against Risk.’ The mayors set aside their political affiliations and pledged to work as one in making the metropolis disaster-resilient. Philippines: Makati hosts 'Making Cities Resilient' campaign - News - Professional Resources - PreventionWeb.net. xii ‘Building Disaster Resilient and Climate Adaptive Local Governments and River Basin-Based Development Planning in the Philippines’ is a collaborative initiative of the Philippine Senate Committee on Climate Change, the Local Government Academy of the Department of Interior and Local Government, and the Agencia Española de Cooperacion Internacional para el Desarrollo, which held consultative forums for local chief executives and development planning officers throughout the country from July through September 2012. Press Release - Legarda: Building a Resilient Central Luzon. xiii The PSCCC conducted on 7 January 2013 its first distribution and public briefing on the use of geohazard maps in the Provinces of Davao Oriental and Compostela Valley in Mindanao, hardest hit by Typhoon Bopha. Distribution and briefing immediately followed for the provinces of Pangasinan, Camarines Sur and Camarines Norte, and Panay Island. xiv The Disaster Preparedness Handbook is an integration of information-education-communication materials from the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, Department of Education, Department of Health, Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration, Bureau of Fire Protection, Mines and Geosciences Bureau, and Vigan City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council. xv BUHOS, a climate change documentary, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESW_S8ZHS80. xvi The PSCCC partnered with the Philippine Department of Environment, Department of Education, and Department of Agriculture to launch in June 2012 a nationwide search for the best school forest parks among public high schools. Criteria were sustainability of the park establishment, creativity and aesthetics, number of trees or seedlings planted based on size of site, and community involvement in planning and supervision of the park. .
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