Women Leaders in Disaster Resilience

Women’s leadership has time and again proven their ability to rise above obstacles and disasters. To champion, the global search for women leaders in disaster resilience, SM Prime Holdings (SMPHI) recently announced its support. For the second consecutive year, SMPHI is sponsoring the Women’s International Network on Disaster Risk Reduction (WIN DRR) Leadership Awards. WIN DDR is a flagship program of the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR).

“This is important in inspiring other women to fully and effectively participate in promoting gender equality and empowerment while building our collective resilience.”

SMPHI Vice President for Corporate Compliance Liza B. Silerio

SMPHI Vice President for Corporate Compliance Liza B. Silerio said that the support is aligned with the company’s drive to recognize women’s leadership in disaster risk reduction.

UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction Mami Mizutori expressed gratitude for the support.

The awards highlight the key role of women as leaders. And as agents of change in building resilience and actively participating in the creation and implementation of DRR strategies, policies, plans, and programs in their regions. Their stories reflect the diversity of solutions required to meet the converging challenges of accelerating climate change and disasters in the region.

Secretary General Mizutori

“We look forward to continued collaboration with SM in our DRR agenda,” Secretary General Mizutori added.

WIN DRR Excellence Awards 2022

The WIN DRR Excellence Awards 2022 sponsored by SM Prime has 15 finalists. Across the 24 countries in the Asia-Pacific, 420 nominations were received. The winner will be announced at the Asia Pacific Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction. The event will be in Brisbane on 21 September 2022. The woman who has achieved exceptional professional success in DRR will be awarded US$10,000.

The WIN DRR partnership is consistent with SM Prime Holdings’ social commitment to women empowerment, resilience, good health, and well-being of women. The company’s corporate social responsibility arm, SM Cares, supports programs that advance these causes.

The Women’s International Network on Disaster Risk Reduction (WIN DRR) is a professional network to support women working in disaster risk reduction, in all their diversity. To note, its overall goal is to empower women. In particular, to attain leadership and enhance their role in decision-making in disaster risk reduction in Asia-Pacific. SM Prime and Asia Pacific College power the WIN DRR Philippine Network.

SM Prime through its SM CARES, partnered with UNDRR in celebrating women’s empowerment through a webinar on the role of women in disaster resilience.

Finally, Mizutori emphasized that “women’s equal participation and leadership in public life including disaster risk reduction is important. Moreover, it is also essential to reducing disaster risk in achieving the United Nations sustainable development goals.”