United Nations (UN) Philippines Resident Coordinator Arnaud Peral stated that the global organization is currently assessing the situation in the country after it experienced successive earthquakes in Cebu and Davao Oriental.
During a Friday press conference, Peral, along with the UN Country Team in the Philippines, expressed the UN’s ongoing commitment to peacebuilding, human rights promotion, and sustainable development as it enters its ninth decade.
“In response to the earthquake in Cebu, we have provided support to the community. We continuously coordinate with the authorities and activate our networks in collaboration with civil society. If the necessary protocols are in place and there is a demand, we are ready to assist the region, as we always have,” Peral said.
Officer-in-Charge and Deputy Representative of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Philippines Maya Faisal likewise mentioned that they offer cash assistance as part of their initiative to promote climate resilience.
“To ensure that our social protection system is climate-resilient, we want to ensure it is adaptive and responsive to shocks. Through this social protection system, we can reach the most vulnerable members of our society,” Faisal explained.
Similarly, Officer-in-Charge of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) Joseph Addaw emphasized the importance of contingency plans in the wake of the earthquakes.
“In line with the government’s strategies and frameworks, they develop their own contingency plans, and we create ours to ensure that we align with the national government’s response plan,” Addaw said.
