President Benigno S. Aquino III . GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE/蜜桃工作室 FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines鈥揚resident 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聽Herminio聽Coloma said Sunday over government radio.
Coloma said the ASEM Manila Conference was expected to come out with a 鈥淭acloban聽Declaration鈥� which would be Manila鈥檚 contribution to new international policies and principles on disaster risk reduction and management.
ASEM delegates will visit聽Tacloban聽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聽Kristalina聽Georgeva, European Union Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis; Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary General for Disaster Risk Reduction聽Margela聽Wahlstrom聽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.鈥揅hristine O.聽Avenda帽o聽