Iloilo City Shares Local Resilience Model at International Forum in Korea

Iloilo City strengthened its presence on the international stage as Mayor Raisa S. Treñas represented the city at the International Disaster Resilience Leaders Forum (IDRLF) 2026, held in Incheon, Republic of Korea, on September 7–8. Treñas was the only local chief executive from the Philippines to participate in the gathering, which brought together government officials, experts, and organizations to exchange practical approaches to disaster preparedness and climate resilience.

During the City Networking Event, Treñas presented the Iloilo City Action and Resilience (ICARe) Centers, highlighting how the initiative has developed from emergency response facilities into community-based hubs for resilience education, planning, preparedness, and collaboration.

Iloilo City currently operates nine ICARe facilities. These centers provide spaces where the local government, communities, private-sector partners, and other stakeholders can work together to strengthen preparedness and develop coordinated responses to disasters and climate-related risks.

Iloilo joined representatives from Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, South Korea, and Thailand in sharing local experiences, technologies, partnerships, and capacity-building strategies that could help cities become more resilient.

This year’s IDRLF carried the theme “Translating Locally-led Resilience into Action in the Age of Complex Risk and Digital Transformation.” Discussions explored emerging approaches to disaster risk reduction, including innovative financing, artificial intelligence-driven disaster prevention, and risk-informed investments.

The forum was co-organized with the Incheon Institute and the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction’s Office for Northeast Asia and Global Education and Training Institute, with support from South Korea’s Ministry of the Interior and Safety and in partnership with the Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat.

Following the forum, Treñas was also scheduled to participate in a September 9 workshop on climate adaptation project preparation. The session aims to strengthen the ability of local governments and stakeholders to turn climate resilience ideas into viable and fundable projects.