ASEAN, RoK cooperate in disaster management

The recue team evacuated people from flooded areas in Capiz, the Philippines. (Photo: XINHUA/VNA)

Jakarta (VNA) -  The first ASEAN-Republic of Korea Ministerial Meeting on Disaster Management (AMMDM Plus RoK) was held on October 20, under the co-chair of Thai Vice Minister of Interior Nadhapit Snidvongs and Vice Minister of Interior and Safety of the RoK Kim Sung-Ho.

According to the joint statement released following the event, both sides affirmed their steadfast relationship with the common objective to pursue people-centered development and protection of people’s lives as top priorities towards achieving a substantial reduction of disaster losses in lives and enhance disaster resilience of the region through cooperation in disaster management.

The purpose of the AMMDM Plus RoK is to provide guidance and strategic directions towards policy dialogue, coordination mechanisms and collaborative programmes to develop mutually beneficial cooperation and partnerships between ASEAN and the RoK in the field of disaster management.

They committed to intensifying coordination on disaster management through maximising their contributions in realisation of the ASEAN Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response (AADMER), the ASEAN Declaration on One ASEAN, One Response; and other commitments such as the ASEAN Vision 2025 on Disaster Management and the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community Blueprint 2025.

The two sides agreed to adopt the ASEAN-RoK Work Plan on Disaster Management 2021-2025 under the strategic directions set by the AADMER Work Programme 2021 – 2025, which outlines ASEAN-RoK priorities for cooperation and resource mobilisation for collaborative initiatives in disaster management over the period of 2021-2025.

They reiterated the commitment to “One ASEAN, One Response: ASEAN Responding to Disasters as One in the Region and Outside the Region” to achieve faster response, mobilise greater resources and establish stronger coordination to support ASEAN’s collective response to disasters.

The meeting appreciated the RoK’s support for the two ongoing projects, namely the Disaster Risk Management Capacity Building Program for ASEAN Member States (D-CAB) project and ASEAN Standards and Certification for Experts in Disaster Management (ASCEND) project.

They agreed that the AMMDM Plus RoK would be held on an annual basis, following the chairmanship of the AMMDM in alphabetical order.

As planned, Vietnam will undertake Chairmanship of the AMMDM and co-Chairmanship of the AMMDM Plus RoK in 2023./.