Yoriko Yasukawa, United Nations Population Fund Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific

Asian Ministerial Confereence on Disaster Risk Reduction, New Delhi, India

Excellencies, distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen: Good morning.

First of all, on behalf of the United Nations Population Fund, UNFPA, our heartfelt congratulations and appreciation to His Excellency Prime Minister Modi and the Government of India for hosting this importance conference.

I am truly pleased to be with you today in representation of Dr Babatunde Osotimehin, Executive Director of UNFPA, as Asia-Pacific countries map out a regional strategy aimed at reducing disaster risk.

It is our hope that this Conference will build on the principles and objectives agreed upon in the World Conference held in Sendai last March.

In particular, we would urge that you take further forward its vision of disaster risk reduction as an endeavor focused on building and strengthening resilience – not only of physical infrastructure but of people.

And when we say people, the aim is to reach all people, not only the privileged few, focusing particularly on the most vulnerable and excluded.

To that end, UNFPA, together with other sister agencies in the United Nations System, very much hopes that the outcome documents of the conference will reaffirm the commitment made in Sendai to strengthen national institutions and policies aimed at guaranteeing the right to basic social services for all people.

We also trust that this will be done in a way that is sensitive to differences in gender, age, culture and capabilities, with special attention to the vulnerabilities of women and girls as well as their great potential to contribute to disaster risk reduction.

Let me share with you the story of one woman in particular.

When the ground shook on April 25, 2015, in Nepal’s worst earthquake in almost a century, Ishwori Dangol’s life changed forever. 

Seven months pregnant, she lost her seven-year-old son in the earthquake -- and feared for the life of her unborn child.  Her home was destroyed, as was the nearby health facility. 

Across Nepal, tens of thousands of pregnant women like Ishwori were left with limited or no access to the health services they needed to deliver safely.

Women and girls were rendered homeless, facing hardship in makeshift camps, with the monsoon looming.  The threat of gender-based violence escalated in the wake of the disaster.

Scenarios like this are common in emergencies triggered by natural disasters and manmade conflicts, both which are increasing in number and severity globally, including across Asia-Pacific – the world’s most disaster-prone region.

The evidence is clear: More women than men die in disasters.  For example, 55% of deaths from the Nepal earthquake last year were women and girls.

Of the estimated 125 million people in need of humanitarian assistance around the world today, more than a quarter are women in their childbearing years. 

60 percent of maternal deaths occur in humanitarian crises and fragile contexts -- and more than 500 women die every day from complications related to pregnancy and childbirth in these settings. In the Asia-Pacific region as a whole, an estimated 84,000 women die each year from causes related to pregnancy and childbirth.

Too often women die because they simply don’t have access to basic sexual and reproductive health care services.  At any time, approximately 4 percent of any displaced or disaster-affected population will be pregnant – and 15 percent of these women will experience pregnancy-related complications.

In addition, gender-based violence against women and girls escalates during humanitarian crises. Hence, all displaced women – not only those who are pregnant -- need access to safe and private spaces, access to essential services and protection from violence.

We therefore hope that this Conference can also reaffirm the Sendai Framework’s call to prioritize the specific needs of women, and to incorporate them in the planning and implementation of disaster risk reduction and humanitarian response. We were very happy to see the priority placed on the needs and the roles of women in Prime Minister Modi's inaugural address yesterday.

For its part, the United Nations, in its ambitious Plan of Action on Disaster Risk Reduction for Resilience, echoes the Sendai Framework’s commitments within the context of wider gender equality and equity.

Honoring these commitments means countries ensuring universal access to sexual and reproductive health services and protecting all women and girls from violence, both in normal times and during humanitarian emergencies. 

It requires public investment in building strong and resilient institutions as well as efforts to transform social and cultural norms toward guaranteeing those rights for all women and girls at all times, including during crises. 

The relatively low levels of budgetary expenditures in health and education in the Asia-Pacific region tell us that there is still a lot of work to be done.

We appeal to you to ensure that both the Asia Regional Plan for implementing the Sendai Framework and the Delhi Declaration unequivocally reiterate and commit to meeting the specific needs of vulnerable groups, in particular women and girls -- recognizing that this also strengthens our collective ability to build resilience to disasters well into the future.

It is also consonant with the spirit of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development which calls on us to leave no one behind, and to place the furthest behind first. 

UNFPA, together with the wider United Nations system, stands ready to support the countries of this region in whatever way we can in this difficult but worthy endeavour.

I conclude with the story of Ishwori in earthquake-shattered Nepal, mourning the loss of her little boy, and worried about the survival of the baby within her womb.

Fortunately, she accessed a UNFPA-supported reproductive health camp whose doctor referred her to a health facility where she safely gave birth to a healthy boy.  

Today, Ishwori helps lead disaster risk reduction efforts in her community, using her story as an example for others.

So let us make sure that Ishwori and millions of other women and girls are part of our commitments and plans for building resilience across the Asia Pacific Region.