The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), as the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC) Council chair, continues to call for the integration of social protection and disaster management systems across the ASEAN region to protect its citizens from different socio-economic shocks.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the ASEAN High-Level Meeting on the ASEAN Strategic Protocol for Emergency and Comprehensive Transformation (ASPECT) Framework on Wednesday (October 7), Undersecretary Adonis Sulit of the DSWD’s Policy and Planning Group (PPG), who also chairs the ASEAN Senior Officials Committee for the Socio-Cultural Community (SOCA), stressed that protecting people from disasters also means safeguarding the development gains that communities have achieved across the years.
“The gains we make in social protection and social development must not be undone by disasters and shocks. Our task is to protect these gains, and, where they are threatened, respond quickly enough to prevent temporary setbacks from becoming long-term losses,” Undersecretary Sulit said at the event held at Diamond Hotel in Malate, Manila.
Emphasizing the necessity to act on risks before it becomes a crisis, the SOCA chair highlighted the critical need for various social protection measures to be in place.
"This is why social protection must be part of our disaster infrastructure. Through anticipatory cash transfers, early release of in-kind assistance, and other pre-arranged support, we can help people act early, protect their livelihoods, and recover with greater dignity and less dependence on emergency relief," Undersecretary Sulit pointed out.
The SOCA chair further explained that protecting people from shocks cannot be the responsibility of one sector alone since it requires the coordinated efforts of various institutions.
"We recognize that protecting people from shocks cannot be the responsibility of one sector alone. It requires our social protection systems, disaster management mechanisms, local governments, communities, development partners, and humanitarian actors to work together," Undersecretary Sulit said.
Meanwhile, Undersecretary Diana Rose Cajipe of the DSWD’s Disaster Response Management Group (DRMG), explained that while the DSWD recognizes that ASEAN has developed strong regional mechanisms for collective disaster response, the changing risk landscape requires stronger systems for coordination and regional interoperability which is the essence of the new ASPECT Framework.
"ASEAN has already built a strong foundation for collective disaster response through the ASEAN Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response (AADMER), and through mechanisms and institutions that have strengthened our ability to work together when disasters strike," the DRMG chief said in her message.
"ASPECT builds on this foundation. It seeks to strengthen how these mechanisms work together, with greater regional interoperability, faster cross-border facilitation, risk-informed and anticipatory approaches, financial resilience, multi-hazard preparedness, and community-based, and protection-centred response," Undersecretary Cajipe added.
Looking ahead, ASEAN looks forward to the continued development of the proposed ASPECT Framework, with the aspiration that it may further strengthen regional cooperation and connections among ASEAN Member States, supporting earlier, faster, and more coordinated action to help communities better withstand shocks before they happen. (AKDL)
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