Philippines: On Ondoy anniversary, 'Clean Up the World' for disaster risk reduction

On the third anniversary of Typhoon Ondoy, some 200 volunteers converged last September 25 in Barangay Pinagbuhatan, Pasig City, to participate in Clean Up the World (CUW) 2012, reports GMA News. Australian Embassies around the world annually organize volunteer activities in support of Clean Up the World campaign, which has since grown to become a successful worldwide campaign supported by the United Nations Environment Programme and by the Australian Government. Volunteers from Australian organizations and the Australian Embassy partnered with the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA), and the local government and residents of Pinagbuhatan, one among the communities identified as most vulnerable to flooding and other climate impacts.

GMA News further mentions that  Australia is deepening its commitment to disaster risk management in the Philippines through a new program, called BRACE (Building the Resilience and Awareness of Metro Manila Communities to Natural Disasters and Climate Change Impacts). "Our support to Clean Up the World complements what we aim to do through AusAID’s BRACE program – to support Filipinos to take action in their local communities to protect and preserve their environment to help reduce vulnerabilities to natural disasters,” says Ambassador Tweddell.