‘Women worldwide hardest hit by disasters’

MANILA, Philippines —  Women, who make up 70 percent of the world’s poor, are often the hardest hit by disasters, as calamities in the Asia-Pacific region disproportionately affect them as well as girls, persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples and marginalized communities, according to Sen. Loren Legarda.

In her speech on the third day of the Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (APMCDRR) at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City yesterday, Legarda noted that the Philippines has 15 million indigenous peoples.

“Persons with disabilities are up to four times more likely to die during disasters. Clearly, inclusivity is not a choice,” Legarda said as she discussed the goal of the Sendai framework that “no one is left behind in disaster risk reduction.”

Legarda added that gender-responsive disaster risk governance recognizes that women and girls are not merely victims.

“Globally, one in five girls are married before the age of 18. Girls are nearly twice as likely to miss out on education as boys. These girls already have a vision for a future where they can thrive and our role is to ensure that they have the resources, the education and leadership opportunities to turn that vision into reality,” she said.

According to Legarda, women, girls and all marginalized groups must harness their creativity and ingenuity and use innovation and new technology to lead sustainable solutions to the most pressing development challenges.

“From achieving a just transition to a low-carbon world, to building safer schools and hospitals, more secure communities both in cities and in the hinterlands, their contributions are essential. In the Philippines, we have enshrined gender equality in most, if not all, of our laws,” Legarda noted.

At the same time, the senator said resilience cannot be achieved by working in silos.

“Governments are sometimes very exclusive to each other and not inclusive… Governance, the private sector, civil society, local communities, the education sector – all must collaborate to create inclusive and innovative solutions,” Legarda stressed.

She said local communities are the frontlines of preparedness and