Philippines - The Asia-Pacific Migration and Environment Network (APMEN) launched the Greeneration Multimedia Contest this week in celebration of National Climate Consciousness Week in the Philippines.

APMEN is an online platform designed to build capacity on climate change, migration, and environmental issues in Asia and the Pacific. It has partnered with the Climate Change Commission (CCC) of the Philippines to create a multimedia contest featuring climate change adaptation and risk reduction as its central theme. APMEN is a joint initiative of IOM and the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

The contest prompts Filipinos to think creatively about ways in which their own communities can prevent or limit climate-related disasters. They can take a photograph or shoot a short video of their ground-breaking ideas, add a creative slogan, and upload the results at www.climate.gov.ph.

“Asking Filipinos to share their innovative ideas on how to reduce human suffering and economic loss due to environmental disasters is a great way of reinforcing the government’s strategy and tapping the creative energy of the population most affected by climate change,” says José Pimentel, IOM Philippines Chief of Mission and Director of IOM’s Manila-based Global Administrative Center.

The multimedia contest comes on the heels of a new report by ADB’s Independent Evaluation Department warning that economic progress in Asia and the Pacific is threatened by the rising number of floods, landslides and other natural disasters affecting the region, including the Philippines.

“Climate change will increase the frequency of extreme weather events, making more geographic places inhospitable to human habitation and secure livelihoods,” the report states.

At the same time, The World Disaster Risk 2012 Report notes that more than 120 million people in Asia and the Pacific are vulnerable to extreme weather events due to environmental degradation. This means that people living in these areas must find strategic ways to adapt to the projected effects of climate change.

“Through the Greeneration Contest, APMEN aims to help Filipinos build resilience and inspire them to find solutions to displacement and migration forced by extreme environmental events,” says Neeraj Jain, ADB Country Director, Philippines.

“We want to raise public awareness of natural disaster and climate change risks, and highlight the urgency of developing effective strategies and mechanisms to enable local communities to manage them,” he adds.

For more information on the contest, please visit: www.apmen.iom.int/greenerationcontest.