A moment of silence to pray for the deceased and quake-survivors in Nepal following a huge earthquake that hit Katmandu last week is performed today in Makati where scores of mayors members of the UCLG ASPAC convene its executive bureau meeting in the Philippines. The move of showing sympathy and empathy is done earlier today, when UCLG ASPAC’s Secretary General Dr. Bernadia Irawati Tjandradewi chairs the session during her short opening remark.
Later on, UCLG ASPAC’s official statement of solidarity is also issued and read by the organization’s President Won Hee-ryong, the current Governor of Jeju Self Governing Province. Three days before the Executive Bureau Meeting scheduled to happen in Makati of the Philippines, a huge earthquake with 7.8 magnitude Richter scale hit Nepal with the epicenter located almost 80 km northwest of Katmandu, the capital of Nepal. This natural disaster affected not only that delegates from Nepal cancelled their planned trip to Makati to join our Executive Bureau Meeting, but also seriously affected the country’s largest urban area, causing massive damage to historical structure and claimed almost 4,000 lives and the number of the deceased and the missing potentially could rise.
As rescue and relief operations enter into full-swing, the full extent of the damage caused by this disaster will become clearer.
“In the aftermath of a catastrophe with this scale, there is an urgent need to rescue people and provide them the basic needs of shelter, food, water, medicine, and sanitation, among others. Rebuilding, however difficult, must already start and rehabilitation plans addressing both short to long term needs have to be drawn, and the resources obtained and effectively managed in their implementation,” UCLG ASPAC Pres. Won says.
“As part of the international community, and embracing the people of Nepal as our brothers and sisters, not only as close member of this network, UCLG – ASPAC expresses its commitment and solidarity to Nepal and will strive to bring the following concrete actions:
- to facilitate the support of UCLG – ASPAC members for immediate rescue and relief.
- to support reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts in the long-term.
- to continue building strong local government action in disaster mitigation, prevention, recovery through capacity building, in line with the Sendai Framework of Action,” he adds.
UCLG ASPAC’s statement of empathy and solidarity is issued on 28th April 2015 in Makati City, the Philippines. (MH)
