Looking to further strengthen resilience programs and plans in the province, the Provincial Government of Iloilo and UN-Habitat Philippines spearheaded a training on local climate risk analytics, July 10-13, in Iloilo City.

More than 120 technical officers and staff from the Iloilo provincial office, city and municipal LGUs, and the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) Region VI participated in the four-day training that aimed to introduce the enhanced Climate and Disaster Risk Assessment (CDRA) and the Provincial Climate Risk Diagnostics (PCRD) methodology and tool.

UN-Habitat Regional Coordinator for Climate Change and Urban Environment Laids Cea led the training team who guided the participants in simulating the application of the enhanced CDRA’s risk analysis methodology and in guiding local data consolidation and management for PCRD and CDRA.

The training is a valuable contribution to Iloilo Province’s comprehensive climate and disaster resilience programs. Early this year, Iloilo Governor Arthur Defensor Jr. allocated funds to build resilience hubs in the towns of Miagao, Banate, Estancia, and Carles, allowing for faster response and efficient coordination in times of disasters and emergencies.

With the training on the enhanced CDRA, cities and municipalities in Iloilo will improve their climate and disaster risk assessments, enhance the identification of priority decision areas and development challenges, and boost their selection of appropriate risk reduction and adaptation measures as inputs to risk-informed planning.

Participants expressed gratitude for the training noting that the enhanced CDRA will significantly ease the burden on LGUs for conducting climate risk analysis, as the tool’s automated features will streamline and expedite the assessment process for effective decision-making and program development.

In the upcoming months, UN-Habitat is expected to work with the Iloilo Provincial Government in enhancing the locality’s initiatives on risk-based planning and resilience building, such as the Purok Resilience Program. 

Previously, UN-Habitat also conducted a PCRD training with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), equipping the agency to increase its capacities to support LGUs in risk-informed planning for climate resilience.

PCRD was developed by UN-Habitat in collaboration with DENR and DHSUD as supported by the World Bank. The enhanced CRDA, on the other hand, was supported by the German Government’s International Climate Initiative (IKI) via the Building Climate Resiliency through Urban Plans and Designs Project.

Meanwhile, the training activity in Iloilo also sets the tone for the implementation of the Transformative Actions for Climate and Ecological Protection and Development (TRANSCEND), a six-year project that aims to support the Philippine government in achieving the Nationally Determined Contributions and post-2020 Biodiversity Framework targets.

Supported by IKI through the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK), TRANSCEND is seen to engage with the Province of Iloilo as one of its partner local government units. UN-Habitat, meanwhile, will lead the efforts to capacitate LGUs, national government agencies, and community organizations for improving policies and applying knowledge of ecosystem-based adaptation for resilient built environments and communities.