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Speech of UNDP Deputy Resident Representative Kyo Naka during the launching of the Guisi Discovery Quest

By admin ⋅ April 30, 2008 ⋅  Email this post ⋅  Print this post ⋅ Post a comment

ON BEHALF of Nileema Noble, UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative, I wish to make a short message on the occasion of the launch of the Guisi Discovery Quest Project. It is such a pleasure to visit this beautiful province which serves as the gateway to one of the most important regions of the Philippines, Region 6.

I am very lucky to be here on a happy occasion like this, compared to my colleagues who came in the aftermath of the oil spill incident about two years ago. Let me, therefore, give you our heartfelt greetings and best wishes on the occasion of the launching of your community-based tourism project, the Guisi Discovery Quest. Specifically, we would like to congratulate, not only the provincial Government headed by Governor Nava and his constituents but the Department of Tourism under the dynamic leadership of Secretary Durano, for completing this very promising endeavor.

We are very excited to see this project get off the ground because it represents the recovery and resilience of such a hardworking people in a very beautiful place. It is also a symbol of the collective commitment of friends, including the international community, to communities in need. When the oil spill devastated beautiful Guimaras, it served as a wake up call to all of us that disasters can happen anywhere. The good news is that disasters can be avoided if the risks are managed adequately. If disasters from natural hazards, even in the most vulnerable areas can be averted, certainly disasters from human activities like shipping can be avoided. We are, therefore, also happy to inform you that the UNDP, through another regional project called the Partnerships on Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA), has started to work with the International Maritime Organization (IMO), on assisting the Philippine Government, strengthen its policies & institutional capacities on shipping and managing marine pollution, to ensure that oil spills and similar incidents do not happen or be significantly lessened in the future.

Helping communities develop sustainable and environment- compatible livelihood enterprises is at the heart of UNDP’s mandate of sustainable human development. We, therefore, look at this project not only as a temporary alternative to the fish-based livelihood of the affected communities but a complementary sustainable undertaking which could further contribute to the improvement of the socio-economic condition of the people of Guimaras, especially Sitio Guisi of Nueva Valencia. It is about time that the ecotourism potential of this beautiful province is fully developed and enjoyed by a much wider group of clientele. We hope that this endeavor can further assist this Province in contributing to the Philippines’ attainment of its Millennium Development Goals, especially halving its poverty levels by 2015.

And it is but fitting that this enterprise is run and benefited from by the very people who have managed to keep the natural capital of this province intact and pristine. Conserving biodiversity for posterity while developing sustainably is another advocacy of the UNDP and the UN system. We are happy to note that the Guisi Discovery Quest, will not only generate income for the people of Sitio Guisi, in particular, but help conserve the biodiversity of this province, which, as we know, assures the people of a sustainable sustenance and livelihood base.

Notwithstanding the devastation, the UNDP looks at the recovery stage in any untoward incident as an opportunity to put in place sustainable development approaches. In this case, therefore, we are happy to support a sustainable livelihood, rooted in the beautiful environment of this Province. Let me take this opportunity to thank the Australian Government, for entrusting their precious resources to us in responding to the needs of Guimaras during the oil spill emergency, especially the need for an environment friendly, sustainable livelihood.

We hope that our partnership does not end here. The UNDP continues to help the Philippines achieve sustainable human development. We could help you, in cooperation with the other donors and partners like Canadian Urban Institute, sustainably manage your beautiful environment and rich natural resources. Through our projects on disaster risk management and climate change adaptation, we could support your aspirations for a relatively disaster free environment.

In closing, let me congratulate again everyone who has contributed to making the Guisi Discovery Quest a reality and hope that it will serve as a model and catalyze similar sustainable endeavors not only in Guimaras but throughout archipelagic Philippines.

Madamo guid nga salamat kag maayong udto sa inyo tanan.