Icelandic President Halla Tomasdottir arrived in Beijing on Sunday afternoon to attend the Global Leaders' Meeting on Women to be held in the Chinese capital from Monday to Tuesday.
The Icelandic side has said that countries should strengthen cooperation and take concrete actions to enhance women's rights and interests, hoping the summit will play an important role in this regard.
Women in both China and Iceland have been playing an increasingly vital role in national development and social progress.
Over the years, women's organizations in the two countries have maintained close and friendly exchanges.
Thomasdottir expressed the hope that Iceland and China will continue to make significant contributions to promoting gender equality and advancing women's development.
The international community widely expects the Global Leaders' Meeting on Women to serve as an important opportunity to promote development-oriented cooperation, and safeguard and promote women's rights and interests, so as to set a new milestone for the development of the global women's course, said the Icelandic president.
Icelandic president arrives in Beijing for Global Leaders' Meeting on Women
Though tens of billions of pesos spent on flood control projects in recent years in the Philippines, questions have been raised about the value of that investment as flooding from Typhoon Kalmaegi left at least 114 people dead and 127 missing, with more than 2.14 million people affected nationwide.
In Talisay City, Cebu Province, homes have been reduced to rubble, mud has clogged up streets and families are left picking through the wreckage of homes that have been swept away by floodwaters.
"I saw a banana being washed away and I grabbed it for breakfast. It's very hard because our food at home, like rice, also got washed away. We used to live here, but most of our houses have been swept away,”said Mary Jean Apog who has taken shelter in a makeshift tent built from storm debris.
Many residents in flood-affected areas have been left wondering whether money earmarked by the government for flood control projects has been spent wisely.
Between 2022 and 2025, more than 400 flood-protection projects worth over 26 billion pesos (about 441 million U.S. dollars) have been launched in Cebu, the second highest investment of all the nation's provinces.
Vince Dizon, secretary of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) visited Talisay City on Wednesday, where he said people should be held accountable for the poor state of the region's flood defenses.
"Poorly planned, poorly executed, and we don't know if there are anomalies here. That will be up to the ICI (Independent Commission on Infrastructure) to find. But definitely, someone should be held accountable here," he said.
According to the country's disaster management authority, more than 6,700 houses were damaged in the typhoon, and hospitals, schools, and other public facilities suffered extensive damage. Power and communications were disrupted in many towns, closing schools and businesses.
Authorities have declared a state of emergency in response to the disaster.
Flood control projects under question as Typhoon wreaks havoc in Philippines
