MANILA, Philippines — Disasters, fueled by increasingly severe storms and other natural hazards, are putting more lives at risk and could undermine decades of economic progress in the Asia Pacific region if governments do not significantly increase investments in disaster mitigation, a senior United Nations official warned Tuesday.

Kamal Kishore, U.N. Assistant Secretary-General and head of the U.N. Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), delivered this message at the opening of a regional conference on disaster mitigation in Manila. Hosted by the Philippines—one of the world’s most disaster-prone nations—the three-day conference gathered ministers and officials responsible for disaster response and prevention from across the Asia Pacific.

“Disasters are now affecting record numbers of people and threatening their lives and livelihoods,” Kishore told the hundreds of delegates. “Left unchecked, these disaster risks threaten to derail the development aspirations of the Asia Pacific region and push back progress that has taken decades to achieve.”

Kishore stressed the need for countries to allocate regular funds within their national budgets for disaster risk reduction and to increase the proportion of foreign aid dedicated to prevention, rather than merely response. While investments in disaster mitigation have reduced death tolls, the U.N. official cautioned that much more needs to be done to protect the region’s most vulnerable populations.

The conference discussions focused on enhancing disaster-warning systems, sharing advanced technology, and constructing more resilient infrastructure, homes, and workplaces. The Philippines, located along the Pacific Ring of Fire, faces an average of 20 typhoons and storms annually, as well as frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. delivered a keynote speech emphasizing the heightened threats brought on by climate change, which have made the country’s disaster-prone landscape even more vulnerable. “With better access to financing, technology, and data, the most vulnerable states could build better resilience,” he said.

European Union Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarcic, who attended the conference, echoed the need for global collaboration. “None of us will be able to face these new challenges alone,” he told The Associated Press. “These disasters know no boundaries.”

Since 2020, the EU has contributed over 80 million euros ($87 million) to disaster preparedness efforts in the Asia Pacific. Lenarcic urged wealthier nations to increase their contributions, while emphasizing that Europe also has much to learn from the region’s extensive experience in disaster resilience.

As the Asia Pacific region continues to face increasingly severe natural hazards, the conference underscored the urgent need for sustained and collaborative efforts to mitigate the devastating impacts of disasters.