Aquino key speaker at risk meet

President Benigno S. Aquino III . GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE/INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines–President Aquino will be the keynote speaker at the opening of the two-day Asia Europe Meeting (ASEM) Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction and Management on June 4, Secretary Herminio Coloma said Sunday over government radio.

Coloma said the ASEM Manila Conference was expected to come out with a “Tacloban Declaration” which would be Manila’s contribution to new international policies and principles on disaster risk reduction and management.

ASEM delegates will visit Tacloban City prior to the conference. They will meet with local officials and civic leaders.

An estimated 150 senior national and local government officials, scientists, academicians, policy makers, industry and business executives, civil society leaders and representatives of regional and international organizations from 36 countries in Asia and Europe are expected to attend the meeting.

Also expected are Kristalina Georgeva, European Union Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis; Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary General for Disaster Risk Reduction Margela Wahlstrom and Vietnamese Vice Minister for Agriculture Hoang Van Tang.

The ASEM conference is a Philippine initiative which President Aquino announced during the 9th ASEM Summit in Vientiane, Laos, on Nov. 5, 2012.–Christine O. Avendaño