07 July 2016, Geneva, Switzerland – Exactly a year after it assumed the leadership of the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR) Support Group, the Philippines handed over its chairmanship of the Group to Sweden at the Palais des Nations on June 29.

The Philippines, represented by Ambassador Cecilia B. Rebong, Permanent Representative of the Philippines to the United Nations and Other International Organizations, had a constructive year of chairing the ISDR Support Group, serving as a driving instrument to further and support the implementation of the Sendai Framework in the first year following its adoption and furthering its mainstreaming into, and ensuring coherence with, key international agreements adopted in 2015.

Ambassador Veronika Bard, Permanent Representative of Sweden to the United Nations Office and other International Organizations in Geneva, took over as Chair of the ISDR Support Group.

“The Philippines expresses its felicitations to the incoming Chair. We will remain committed to supporting the Chair in leading the group through the important tasks that lay ahead in the coming year,” said Ambassador Rebong.

“The Philippines will continue to proactively engage with its international partners on disaster risk reduction. We will continue toshare our knowledge and experience in disaster risk reduction (DRR), preparedness, response and recovery and rehabilitation,” added Ambassador Rebong.

The Philippines is known in the international community for its leadership in DRR, having been promoted by various UN agencies and international organizations as a model for governments and DRR stakeholders for its active engagement and initiatives in DRR.

Dr. Robert Glasser, Special Representative of the Secretary General for Disaster Risk Reduction, expressed his appreciation to Ambassador Rebong for her inspiring leadership and her efforts the past year, bringing with her her wealth of experience and knowledge as chair, in ensuring that the ISDR Support Group would play a very significant role in keeping the momentum on the implementation of the Sendai Framework going.

Member States also thanked the Philippines for its able leadership of the Group and in making it a driving instrument for the sharing of experiences and best practices on DRR and on how the Sendai Framework will be implemented by Member States and stakeholders.

Ambassador Bard expressed her deep appreciation as the incoming Chair of the ISDR Support Group and congratulated the Philippines for all its achievements in the past year.

The Support Group members welcomed the new Chair and expressed their support for Sweden in this new function.

The ISDR Support Group, a Geneva-based self-organized group that is composed of interested Member States, aims to mobilize the necessary political and financial support for the effective functioning of the strengthened ISDR partnership, focusing in particular on issues related to the participation of States in the system. END