UNDRR, SM Prime laud women leaders in disaster resilience

SM Prime Holdings (SMPHI) recently announced its support for the global search for women leaders in disaster resilience. 

For the second consecutive year, SMPHI is sponsoring the Women’s International Network on Disaster Risk Reduction (WIN DRR) Leadership Awards, a flagship program of the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR). 

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

UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction Mami Mizutori expressed gratitude for the support, stating, “The awards highlight the key role of women as leaders and 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.”

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

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

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. Its overall goal is to empower women to attain leadership and enhance their role in decision-making in disaster risk reduction in Asia-Pacific. The WIN DRR Philippine Network is powered by SM Prime and Asia Pacific College. 

Earlier this year, 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. In her keynote message, Mizutori emphasized that “women’s equal participation and leadership in public life including disaster risk reduction is important and it is also essential to reducing disaster risk in achieving the United Nations sustainable development goals.”