The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN ESCAP), in collaboration with the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), Philippines conducted the National Workshop on Sustainable Urban Infrastructure Development in the Philippines on 10-11 September 2014 at Dusit Thani Hotel, Manila.
The workshop is part of a series of capacity building activities targeting policy makers in developing countries in the region involved in infrastructure design and planning, especially water and energy infrastructure. The capability building activitivity is one of the key activities for the project “Pilot Implementation of Low Carbon Green Growth Roadmap for Asia and the Pacific” targeting Mongolia, Nepal, the Philippines, and the ASEAN countries.
This project aims to contribute for the enhancement of capacity of policy/decision-makers in developing countries in the region to formulate and apply policy options that improve the quality of growth and also to formulate and apply policy options that help achieve internationally agreed development goals (IADGs) and millennium development goals (MDGs) in the area of water resources management (UNESCAP, June 2014).
In line with this, UNESCAP engaged the services of the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) through AIT Consulting (AITC) to assist in developing a concept paper that would link the concept of sustainability to disaster-resiliency in school buildings and further incorporate these priorities in updating building codes for schools. Engaged as Disaster Risk Management Expert, Dr. Naveed Anwar, Executive Director of AITC, presented the concept paper “Regional Policy on Integrating E-sustainability, and Resilience in School Building Development and Its Implications in the Philippines,” during the workshop in Manila.
Several important presentations were delivered during the workshop by Mr. Edilberto Paradela, Regional Director, Department of Science and Technology Region 7; Dr. Carol M. Yorobe, Undersecretary for Regional Operations, Department of Science and Technology; Dr. Donovan Storey, Chief, Sustainable Urban Development Section, Environment and Development Division, ESCAP; Hon. Mr. Mario G. Montejo, Secretary, Department of Science and Technology; Dr. Ram Tiwaree, Economic Affairs Officer, Sustainable Urban Development Section, Environment and Development Division, ESCAP; Mr. Cris Cyril C. Abbu , Architect, Chora Design and Architects, and ESCAP resource person; Ms. Sakai Yuko, Japanese International Cooperation Agency, Mega Cebu; and Ms. Benita Ochoa Regala, National President United Architect, National Housing Authority of the Philippines.
