emi

EMI was invited to participate in the multi-stakeholder dialogue for the development of the Philippines' Strategic National Action Plan (SNAP) for DRR on 29-30 April 2008. The conference was attended by 41 NGOs and civil organizations, 36 National government agencies and NDCC members, 18 OCD, regional departments and DCCÕs, and 9 international organizations.

A workshop was conducted to thresh out specific issue domains that the SNAP will cover, namely, (a) Governance, (b) Risk assessment, (c) Knowledge management, (d) Risk management & vulnerability reduction, (e) Disaster preparedness, and (f) Resource mobilization for DRR. EMI was represented by Atty. Violeta Seva, Dr. Marqueza Reyes, Kristoffer Berse and Nadia Pulmano in these breakout workshop sessions.  

The following issues and gaps were drawn out from the workshop:
1. Uneven performance: existing structures and systems inhibit DRR in some cases; increased local capacities result in more resilient communities  
2. Link between researchers /academe and policy makers/implementers.
3. DRR has yet to become everyoneÕs concern, as focus is still on relief.

The outputs from the dialogue will be used as additional inputs for the SNAP, which the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) hopes to finish by May 2008. A similar consultative workshop will be held on May 20th in Cebu City to take stock of the situation in Visayas and Mindanao.

The SNAP will serve as a national roadmap, outlining the short- to long-term priority actions for DRR in the Philippines, in line with the country's commitment to the HFA.

For more information about the SNAP process or the conference proceedings, please contact Dr. Antonio Fernandez (link email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it )