UN asks Asia-Pacific countries to invest more in preventing damage from disasters

Associated Press

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — A U.N. official says disasters, including those wrought by fiercer storms, are threatening more people and could derail economic progress in the Asia Pacific region if governments would not invest more in disaster-prevention and mitigation. U.N. Assistant Secretary-General Kamal Kishore, who heads the U.N. Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, issued the warning Tuesday in a speech at the start of a regional ministerial conference on disaster mitigation hosted by the Philippines, one of the world’s most disaster-prone countries. He said “disasters are now affecting record numbers of people and threatening their lives and livelihoods.” He added that if left unchecked, these disasters could derail the development of the region.