Local Champions Honored at APMCDRR 2024 for Disaster Resilience Leadership

Manila – The third edition of the Asia-Pacific Local Leaders Forum for Disaster Resilience (APLL4DR) Awards celebrated outstanding local leaders from across the region, recognising their remarkable contributions to building resilient communities. Held as part of the Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (APMCDRR) 2024, the event, hosted by ADRRN’s localisation hub, SEEDS, highlighted the critical role of grassroots leadership in disaster risk reduction.

Under the theme “Recognising, Linking, and Enhancing the Power of Local Leadership,” the APLL4DR Awards honoured four exceptional local champions in climate action and disaster resilience.

• Ms. Maria Fe Maravillas (Philippines) for her work in inclusive transportation services through the Accessible Transportation Mobile Service (ATRAMS) initiative. ATRAMS transforms how communities include people with disabilities in disaster preparedness and response.
• Ms. Yustina Wardani (Indonesia) for developing an inclusive disaster preparedness educational park, where persons with psychosocial disabilities and their caregivers find a place to heal and prepare for future disasters.
•  Mr. VV Sanjeevan (India) for the creation of a green belt, planting 75,000 casuarina trees to safeguard the coastline from erosion and act as a barrier against tsunami waves.
• Ms. Zenith Ballerta (Philippines) for her initiative using Indigenous knowledge about herbal medicine to promote health and well-being and for promoting a hub for disaster risk reduction within the community.

Dignitaries Adek Triana Yudhaswari (Minister Counsellor, Indonesian Embassy); Cheryl Leal (Director of Policy and Planning from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources); and Sunisa Ho (United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction Associate Program Management Officer and Making Cities Resilient 2030 Focal Point for Asia Pacific) joined the forum to felicitate and endorse the efforts of the champions.