UNDRR, WINDRR, Australian Government, and SM honor women leaders in disaster resilience

The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), with the support of the Australian  Government and SM Prime Holdings Inc. (SMPHI), recently presented the 2022 Women’s International Network for Disaster Risk Reduction (WIN DRR) Leadership Awards to Dr. Esline Garaebiti of Vanuatu and Dr. Homolata Borah of India. 

WINDRR UNDRR SM Prime

Jessica Sy, SM Prime assistant vice president, presents Dr. Esline Garaebiti of Vanauta the Women’s International Network for Disaster Risk Reduction (WIN DRR) Leadership Awards for Excell Excellence 2022

Dr. Esline Garaebiti, the Director General of the Ministry of Climate Change Adaptation, Meteorology,  Geo-Hazards, Environment, Energy, and Disaster Management in Vanuatu has conferred the 2022 WIN DRR Leadership Excellence Award

Dr. Garaebiti was instrumental in the design and rollout of the Oceania Regional Seismic Network  (ORSNET) across Vanuatu, New Caledonia, Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, and Samoa. With  ORSNET, the region has improved tsunami detection systems and, as such, reduced the risks of tsunamis in these countries. She is also the advocator for the Melanesia volcano network between PNG, Solomon  Islands, and Vanuatu to reduce the risks of volcanic eruptions in Melanesia. 

Dr. Homolata Borah, a researcher from India, was this year’s recipient of the WIN DRR Leadership  Awards – Rising Star Award. Over the last six years, Dr. Borah has been working towards reducing  disaster risk for some of the most vulnerable (and diverse) communities living in the world’s largest  inhabited river island of Majuli in the state of Assam in India. The island has lost more than 30% of its  landmass to river erosion over the last nine decades 

Christine Clark, Australian Ambassador for Women and Girls, presents Dr. Homolata Borah of India the Women’s International Network for Disaster Risk Reduction (WIN DRR) Leadership Awards – Rising Star 2022

The winners were selected from the 420 nominations that were received from 24 countries across  the Asia-Pacific region. UNDRR, Australian Government and SM Prime, presented the awards on 21  September 2022 at the Plaza Gallery, Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre during the Asia  Pacific Ministerial Conference for Disaster Risk Reduction (APMCDRR).  

Mami Mizutori, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction and Head  of the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), said: “The WIN DRR Leadership  Awards is a way to recognize the significant contributions being made by women to reduce disaster  risk.” 

“Dr Garaebiti’s work improving early warning systems across the Pacific means tsunami warnings are  sent out faster, enabling those who may be in a tsunami’s path to get to higher ground,” Ms. Mizutori  said. 

Excellence award winner, Dr. Garaebiti, declared that “Involving women in disaster risk reduction in  Vanuatu helps ensure that the needs of the most at-risk and marginalized people are considered in 

national, provincial and community disaster risk management planning, from prevention to the  recovery.” 

“When we look at the next generation of women leaders, Dr Homolata Borah is truly a Rising Star in  disaster risk reduction,” said Ms. Mizutori. “By putting communities at the centre of her field research,  she has engaged vulnerable communities in Majuli and helped identify practical solutions to the very  specific problems of soil and river erosion that they face.” 

Rising Star award winner Dr Homolata Borah emphasized that “We need to go beyond the rhetoric of  women’s empowerment to more fundamental changes in the way resources are managed equally by  women and men.” 

SM Prime’s Ms. Jessica Sy also spoke during the event. She stated that SM Prime is “privileged to be a  partner of UNDRR, WINDRR and the Australian Government in honoring women leaders who are in the forefront of DRR. It is heartwarming to be part of a body that recognizes how women across the Asia Pacific Region are helping all of us to better understand and reduce the risk of disasters – when they  happen.”  

Ms. Sy called on women leaders from all levels of society including those in the government and private  sectors to have active and meaningful participation and leadership in decision-making in DRR. She also  encouraged other private corporations to support UNDRR and WIN DRR in their programs – particularly  the Excellence Awards. 

The WIN DRR Leadership Awards recognize women’s achievements in disaster risk reduction across the  Asia-Pacific region. The awards are part of UNDRR’s flagship women’s leadership initiative, the Women’s  International Network for Disaster Risk Reduction (WIN DRR), which is supported by Australian Aid. There are two award categories – the Excellence Award, proudly sponsored by SM Prime Holdings, Inc.,  worth US$10,000 and the Rising Star Award worth US$7,500.

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