We, the Ministers and Heads of Delegations of the countries of Asia and the Pacific, attending the Second Asian Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in New Delhi on 7-8 November 2007,

Recalling the Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015: Building the Resilience of Nations and Communities to Disasters;

Recalling the Beijing Action for Disaster Risk Reduction in Asia 2005 to enhance regional cooperation in the implementation of the Hyogo Framework for Action;

Concerned at the recent spurt of disasters in the region, including the 2005 earthquake in Pakistan and India and typhoon in Vietnam, the 2006 earthquake and floods in Indonesia, as well as the series of typhoons in the Philippines, and the 2007 tsunami in the Solomon Islands and floods in South Asia, which caused widespread loss of life and property;

Aware of the threats of disasters due to unsustainable development including unplanned urban settlements and the impacts of climate change;

Recognizing the urgency of substantially reducing the loss of lives and social, economic and environmental assets of communities and countries at risks of disasters in order to achieve the Millennium Development Goals and sustainable development;

Appreciating the new global and regional initiatives like the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction, the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery, International Recovery Platform, the Pacific Framework of Action for Disaster Risk Management, the Comprehensive Regional Framework for Action 2006-2015 in South Asia, the South Asian Regional Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction and Management, the ASEAN Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response, the ADPC Regional Consultative Committee and the ADRC Asian Conference on Disaster Reduction, the APEC Task Force on Emergency Preparedness, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Agreement on Disaster Reduction and the setting up of SAARC Disaster Management Centre;

Welcoming the initiatives taken by many national governments in Asia and the Pacific for setting up legal and institutional mechanisms for disaster risk reduction and mainstreaming risk reduction in development planning;

Further welcoming the initiatives taken by the local authorities, the communities and other stakeholders such as the civil society, the private sector, the media and the scientific, academic and technical organizations for disaster risk reduction;

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