Later this year, a United Nations General Assembly working group will meet to discuss the Draft Articles on the Protection of Persons in the Event of Disasters.
The Draft Articles address issues such as human rights and the protection of people in disasters, humanitarian principles, international cooperation, disaster risk reduction, and the responsibilities of states in external disaster assistance scenarios.
Join our webinar to learn more about the prospect of a new treaty, why we need it, and the role of the IFRC.
The webinar is open to government representatives, Red Cross Red Crescent Movement, regional organisations, United Nations Agencies, academia and civil society in Asia Pacific.
12 July 2024, 9am EST
Programme Outline:
1. Opening remarks and welcome (5 mins)
2. Overview of the Draft Articles and diplomatic process (10 mins) - Ambassador Antonio M. Lagdameo
3. Panel Perspectives on the Draft Articles: (45 mins)
Panellists and speakers include:
Ambassador Antonio M. Lagdameo - the Permanent Representative of the Philippines to the United Nations since 2022. Prior to that, he was a diplomat in Ambassador roles since 2008. Ambassador Lagdameo is Chair of the Working Group on the Protection of Persons in the Event of Disasters (PPED) under the Sixth Committee of the 78th Session of the United Nations General Assembly.
Dr. Suphanvasa Chotikajan Tang - Director-General of the Department of Treaties and Legal Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand. Thirty years experience in international law and diplomacy, including the Department of International Organizations, the Royal Thai Embassy in Vientiane, as a UN expert in drafting legislative guides for the Transnational Organized Crime Convention and as Vice-Chair of the 55th Session of the UN Commission on International Trade Law.
Jeanett Vea - Chargé d'Affaires a.i., Permanent Mission of Tonga to the UN, 20 years of service with the Government of Tonga, 10 years at the Deputy CEO and Deputy Head of Mission/Ambassadorial level. Currently leads the mission’s engagements on economic and financial sustainable development under the UN 2nd Committee, Social, Humanitarian affairs and Human Rights at the UN 3rd Committee, administrative and budgetary matters under the UN 5th Committee and legal considerations undertaken at the UN 6th Committee, along with climate change, ocean and disaster UN-related processes.
Adelina Kamal - humanitarian and disaster management practitioner, international policy development analyst, steering committee member of the Southeast Asian Women Peace Mediators and was the first female executive director of the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance from 2017 to 2021, before that, worked with the ASEAN Headquarters for over two decades.
Dr. W. John Hopkins - Professor of Comparative Public Law specialising in disaster law and sub-national governance, Director of the LEAD Institute of Law Emergencies and Disasters, a member of the Yearbook of International Disaster Law Editorial Board and chair of the International Disaster, Emergency and Law (IDEAL) Network.
Marco Toscano-Rivalta - Chief of the Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific of the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, with over 25 years of experience in international cooperation with the UN and other international organizations across sustainable development, disaster risk management, humanitarian relief, and refugee, IDPs and human rights protection.
4. Q&A (20 mins)
5. Summary & closing remarks: key considerations for supporting the Draft Articles and next steps in the Asia Pacific. (5 mins)
To register, please click here, and for any questions email alexandra.magaloff@ifrc.org.
Please find the agenda and the panelist bios in full, at the top right of the page.