“Help me!” 

Participants at a session during this year’s Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction* on October 16 at the Philippine International Convention Center learned a few Filipino Sign Language (FSL) signs that they could use to assist Deaf persons during emergencies. 

Carolyn Dagani, the project lead of the Oscar M. Lopez Center’s Climate Resilience of the Deaf: Signs for Inclusive Governance and Development (Project SIGND), also taught FSL signs for concepts like “earthquake”, “tsunami”, “supertyphoon”, and “evacuate” during the session titled, “The Faces of Resilience: How Diverse DRR Champions Catalyze Community-Led Transformation,” which was organized by the Women’s International Network on Disaster Risk Reduction Philippines (WINDRRPH).

This was just a tiny step forward, and the beginning of a longer journey towards Deaf inclusion in disaster risk reduction and resilience, for many of the participants who were only now getting a glimpse of what it was like to be a part of the Deaf world. 

Dagani’s plea was for accessibility: from facilitating the presence of sign language interpreters on television, to ensuring that the language used in communicating with the Deaf was understandable to them. Text alerts from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), for example, were in Filipino, which they could not understand. 

Policymaking should also involve the Deaf and be responsive to their needs. Dagani noted that many efforts to provide representation for persons with disabilities treated them as a homogenous group, which meant that the concerns that were particular to the Deaf were not always relayed. In truth, persons with disabilities, such as the Deaf, people with visual impairment, and people with physical disabilities, have different needs and requirements. The Deaf, in particular, have specific considerations when it comes to communication.

In addition, Dagani, with the aid of an FSL interpreter, told the audience, “It is very important that the Deaf and hearing work with each other, in collaboration, such that you could have more Deaf organizations getting involved in hearing and climate-related projects. This will ensure a more inclusive approach to [disaster] response.”

The session was all about celebrating the efforts of champions of disaster risk reduction and resilience, particularly those working with women and diverse communities. 

“This event is more than just about knowledge-sharing and networking,” said Ma. Teresita Pastor-Medado, the convenor of WINDRRPH. “This is about inspiration by example, where we learn best.” Through events like these, she said, more women-leaders would follow. 

Silvestre Barrameda, Jr., the executive director of the National Resilience Council, presented their inaugural batch of Philippine Resilience Awards winners who were now given a bigger platform to become mentors to those who wanted to contribute to disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation in their respective sectors and communities.

“Women and youth who bear the brunt of disasters and climate change impacts are often overlooked in resilience-building,” Barrameda explained. “We are amplifying and celebrating the diverse stories of resilience champions who have shown exemplary dedication and transcended the perception of women and youth as mere beneficiaries to become central actors in resilience-building.”

In this regard, Bonifacio Javier III, the deputy program manager of the Catholic Relief Services, talked about a guide they created for DRR actors to refer to so that their initiatives could be inclusive. 

The Safe and Dignified Programming Toolkit, which was developed through dialogues at the community-level in Pasig, Pateros, Caloocan, Manila, and San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan, hinged on what he called the “SAD-SAD analysis”. This acknowledged that people’s experiences of disasters differed, and impacts might vary depending on their Sex, Age, and Diversity (SAD), and that it was important to ensure Safety, Access, and Dignity (SAD) for all during disasters.

“For example, during evacuation, women and children may require privacy and specific protection from risks like diseases or even gender-based violence,” Javier explained. “Older persons and people with disabilities may face various barriers in attending capacity-building activities, such as accessibility concerns with training materials, venue, and even time… [So] we create DRR systems that are inclusive and equitable. This is not just about physical safety, but also weighing on psychosocial well-being, access to critical services, and assurance of dignity of all groups. The goal in the end is to ensure that no one feels marginalized, discriminated [against], or even neglected during disasters.”

He was proud to say that over 800 individuals had been trained on how to implement safe and dignified programming, as well as equipped with skills to integrate these principles in their work. More than 10,000 urban household representatives had also been oriented on their rights so that they could be empowered during disasters.

Camille Alison Adle, gender in humanitarian action and disaster risk reduction coordination analyst at UN Women Philippines, commended the speakers for their organization’s efforts. She lauded the OML Center, in particular, for investing in a climate vulnerability assessment for the Deaf so that the needs of the Deaf community could be understood. 

While she noted that the Philippines for the third straight year had topped the World Risk Index, there was hope. 

“There were countries that were able to lower their rankings in this index by working on their vulnerabilities. Basically by increasing their coping and adaptive capacities,” she said. 

Opportunity lay in “the meaningful participation and leadership of diverse groups” in disaster risk reduction and management. 

“We actually cannot just be working for women and girls. We need to be working as diverse identities and diverse people,” she added. 

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*The Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction 2024 was hosted by the Government of the Philippines in partnership with the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR). 

Bringing together governments, intergovernmental, international, national and civil society organizations, the private sector, science, academia, and stakeholder groups, the APMCDRR is the main platform in Asia and the Pacific to monitor, review, and enhance cooperation for the implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 at the regional level.

The APMCDRR 2024 focused on the theme, “Surge to 2030: Enhancing ambition in Asia-Pacific to accelerate disaster risk reduction”.