 | |
| Dr. Velasquez and Mayor Arquillano with Sendai City Mayor Emiko Okuyama |
Dr. Jerry Velasquez, Chief, Advocacy and
Outreach Section of the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster
Reduction (UNISDR) at Geneva, Switzerland and Head of the "Making Cities
The Honorable Alfredo Arquillano, Jr., former mayor of San Francisco, Camotes, Cebu and the
UNISDR Asia Pacific Regional Champion for making cities resilient was invited to deliver a plenary keynote lecture on “How can the academe support in empowering local communities in DRR and CCA.” Al Arquillano is now the Vice Mayor of San Francisco, Cebu Province, Philippines. Under his leadership as former mayor, San Francisco won the UN Sasakawa Award for Disaster Risk Reduction in 2011 for its community empowerment program to boost the resilience of a mostly poor population living below the poverty line. The city's resilience hinges on the Purok system, which is an indigenous method of self-organization at the sub-village level. Under the Purok "Capital Build Up" programme, the community deposits an amount agreed on by residents as initial capital for emergency purposes, which increases fluid assets of the Puroks to use as a post-disaster assistance fund. In addition to this safety net, Mr. Arquillano implemented a system of solid waste management that contributes to better sanitation and drainage, which considerably reduces the risk of floods caused by clogged waterways. It is now touted as a national best practice example and is also being shared with cities in other nations, such as Bangladesh. He was appointed as campaign champion for making cities resilient of the UNISDR. He is a member of the Steering Committee of the United Nations Making Cities Resilient Campaign.
UNISDR Asia Pacific Regional Champion for making cities resilient was invited to deliver a plenary keynote lecture on “How can the academe support in empowering local communities in DRR and CCA.” Al Arquillano is now the Vice Mayor of San Francisco, Cebu Province, Philippines. Under his leadership as former mayor, San Francisco won the UN Sasakawa Award for Disaster Risk Reduction in 2011 for its community empowerment program to boost the resilience of a mostly poor population living below the poverty line. The city's resilience hinges on the Purok system, which is an indigenous method of self-organization at the sub-village level. Under the Purok "Capital Build Up" programme, the community deposits an amount agreed on by residents as initial capital for emergency purposes, which increases fluid assets of the Puroks to use as a post-disaster assistance fund. In addition to this safety net, Mr. Arquillano implemented a system of solid waste management that contributes to better sanitation and drainage, which considerably reduces the risk of floods caused by clogged waterways. It is now touted as a national best practice example and is also being shared with cities in other nations, such as Bangladesh. He was appointed as campaign champion for making cities resilient of the UNISDR. He is a member of the Steering Committee of the United Nations Making Cities Resilient Campaign.
 |
| Mayor Al Arquillano with UNISDR's Ms. Margareta Walstrom |
No comments:
Post a Comment