Brussels (VNA) – The European Commission has committed 6million EUR for initiatives helping Southeast Asian countries cope with naturaldisasters as the region is facing monsoon season and its potentiallydevastating effects.
Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management ChristosStylianides said the EU believes in empowering communities to be betterprepared in the face of natural disasters, and especially the most vulnerable,who are often the ones bearing the hardest brunt.
He noted that the assistance will strengthen the disaster preparednessinitiatives already in place across the region, while improving the livelihoodsand resilience of those most affected.
Out of the funding, which was announced on August 1, 2 million EUR willgo to Myanmar to help the country build up the national response system againstearthquakes and tsunamis, and to pilot disaster risk reduction andresilience-building initiatives in urban contexts.
Nepal will receive 2 million EUR to build capacity and resilience ofmost vulnerable communities in earthquake affected areas.
The Philippines will get 1 million EUR to carry out disaster risk reductionand resilience building initiatives with focus on urban poor population, whilethe remaining 1 million EUR will go to multi-country initiatives to strengthenresponse capacities at the regional level across Southeast Asia, including inLaos, Cambodia and Vietnam.-VNA
