Secretary of National Defense (SND) Gilberto C. Teodoro, Jr. received Mr. Gustavo Gonzalez, United Nations Resident Coordinator (UNRC) in the Philippines, in a courtesy call on 12 July 2023, at Camp General Emilio Aguinaldo, Quezon City.

Reaffirming the commitment to foster collaboration and strengthen the longstanding partnership between the Philippines and the UN, both sides underscored the need for joint efforts to address complex humanitarian issues.

For his part, Mr. Gonzalez recognized that cooperation between the Philippines and the UN has particularly been growing in the area of disaster risk reduction and management, noting that the Philippines is considered by the UN as a model country for humanitarian aid due to the country’s resilience in the face of frequent onslaught of natural disasters. Relatedly, he lauded the Philippines’ well-established systems for disaster preparedness, response and recovery, coupled with its robust community networks, which contribute to its ability to effectively address humanitarian crises.

On the other hand, Secretary Teodoro conveyed his intent to re-engineer the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management System in order to be more agile, effective, sustainable, and transparent.

Both sides expressed their unwavering dedication to work closely and leverage their respective strengths to achieve mutual objectives.