UN Announces P380-M Funding for PH Foresight Pilot Trial

MANILA – The United Nations on Thursday announced a contribution of over PHP 380 million to fund the typhoon preventive pilot test in the Philippines.

The announcement was made by UN resident and humanitarian coordinator in the Philippines, Gustavo Gonzalez, during a high-level meeting co-chaired by the Minister of Defense and Chair of the National Council for Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Delfin Lorenzana.

The pilot’s framework is designed to assist 270,500 most vulnerable people in 44 communities across the Bicol region and the Eastern Visayas three days before a category four or five typhoon hits land.

With two-year funding from the United Nations Central Emergency Fund (CERF) mechanism, the pilot’s predictive interventions are carried out by various UN agencies, while the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) takes on overall coordination.

“This work would not be possible without international collaboration, and I applaud the resource partners and recognize their commitment, both globally and nationally, to advancing humanitarian aid, disaster risk reduction and the fight against climate change,” said Gonzalez.

“The UK, Germany, the European Union and Canada are major contributors to the CERF, and these resource partners, along with the World Bank, are also leading the way in proactive measures,” he added.

READ: PH supports UN forecast against Typhoons: Locsin

Lorenzana said the Philippine government is “inspired to embark on this joint proactive action program” and is keen to further explore how to contextualize the pilot and ensure that it empowers local government units.

The UN is launching a series of forward-looking pilot projects this year, including in Burkina Faso and Niger due to drought; Nepal and South Sudan due to floods; and Madagascar because of the plague.

According to the UN, there is “convincing evidence” that taking action before the disaster “lowers the cost of humanitarian aid, preserves human dignity and enables faster recovery by protecting hard-earned development achievements”. (PNA)