EU launches new programme focused on humanitarian and emergency response in ASEAN
EU launches new programme focused on humanitarian and emergency response in ASEAN
With a financial commitment of EUR 10 million, the European Union (EU) has today (27/1) launched a new programme to improve ASEAN’s capacity to respond to natural disasters and humanitarian crises. The Integrated Programme in Enhancing the Capacity of AHA Centre and ASEAN Emergency Response Mechanisms began implementation earlier this year.
The new initiative will strengthen the capacity of the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management (AHA Centre) to achieve operational excellence in disaster monitoring and emergency response. It will also create mechanisms that support the One ASEAN, One Response, through innovation in disaster management.
The Executive Director of the AHA Centre, Adelina Kamal, expressed her appreciation for the launch of the Project. “The support from the EU through this project is crucial for the AHA Centre to ensure its continuing development. It allows the Centre to develop its internal mechanism and expanding at the same time. The project will also benefit the Member States through its support to a number of capacity building activities, workshops, and others."
The Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dato Lim Jock Hoi, recognised the EU’s support, stating that “as an important partner of ASEAN, the EU's contribution to the AHA Centre will play a pivotal role in advancing ASEAN closer towards realising its vision as a global leader in disaster management. By supporting ASEAN’s hallmark emergency response mechanism, the European Union ensures the continued development of disaster management assets and capacities at the regional and national levels in the ASEAN region.”
ASEAN is one of the most disaster-prone regions in the world, with more than 50% of global disaster mortalities occurring in the region during the 2004-2014 period. The 7.5 magnitude earthquake and tsunami that hit Sulawesi, Indonesia that resulted in hundreds of casualties, as well as the earthquake that struck Lombok, Indonesia, highlighted the need for ASEAN to both improve its disaster management capabilities, and step up its climate change mitigation efforts.
The new EU programme aims to substantially reduce the human, economic, social and environmental costs of disasters in ASEAN, and support joint responses to disaster emergencies through concerted national efforts and intensified regional and international cooperation. It will work closely with the National Disaster Management Organisations of each ASEAN Member State and the AHA Centre to provide capacity-building support and skills training to enhance disaster preparedness and response at both the national and regional levels.
“Preparedness is as important as adequate responses in order to limit human causalities; we need a two-pronged approach to minimise the causalities and losses. We also, as a global community, need to face the reality of climate induced disasters”, said H. E. Igor Driesmans, the EU Ambassador to ASEAN.
The project will be implemented through a combination of a direct grant to the AHA Centre, as well as capacity building by the Civil Protection Agencies of EU Member States, namely the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB) and the Estonia Rescue Board (ESB). The project will also leverage the expertise of the Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC) which operates under the EU’s Civil Protection Mechanism, and has a similar scope of work in the EU as the AHA Centre does in ASEAN.
Through the 2009 ASEAN Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response (AADMER), ASEAN has set in place robust legal and political mechanisms to respond to disasters. As the driving engine of AADMER, the AHA Centre has demonstrated, despite its short tenure and size, its capacity to provide a robust response to disasters affecting ASEAN Member States.
The increase of annual contribution from ASEAN Member States from USD 50,000 to USD 90,000 to the AHA Centre is testament to the critical work of the AHA Centre, as well as the increased need to provide a more coordinated, regional approach to disaster management in ASEAN.
“The programme we launch today testifies to a partnership of double solidarity – within ASEAN and between ASEAN and the EU – and of exchange of expertise, capacity and good will", added Ambassador Driesmans.
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Background on the Integrated Programme in Enhancing the Capacity of AHA Centre and ASEAN Emergency Response Mechanisms (EU Support to AHA Centre)
The EU Support to AHA Centre programme contributes to the overall goals of the ASEAN Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response (AADMER), and to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It aims to strengthen ASEAN and their Member States' capabilities to respond to disaster emergencies, and thereby mitigate human, economic, social, physical and environmental losses. In particular, the programme facilitates a joint response to disaster emergencies through concerted national efforts and intensified regional and international cooperation.
The programme builds on and complements several EU-supported activities on disaster management in the region. These include: the ASEAN-EU Emergency Management Program (AEEMP, completed in 2016); the Enhanced Regional EU-ASEAN Dialogue Instrument (E-READI); and the EU Support to Sustainable Use of Peatland and Haze Mitigation in ASEAN (SUPA). It is also complementary with the DIPECHO-funded projects on disaster risk reduction in the region's most disaster prone areas.
The specific objectives of the programme are to:
- Strengthen the institutional capacity and sustainability of the AHA Centre; and
- Enhance the mechanisms to fulfil "One ASEAN, One Response," through operational excellence and innovation in disaster management.
The project will be implemented through a combination of a direct grant to the AHA Centre, as well as capacity building by the Civil Protection Agencies of EU Member States, namely the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB) and the Estonia Rescue Board (ESB):
- Direct grants to the AHA Centre strengthen the organisation's capacity to achieve operational excellence in disaster monitoring, in line with the Centre's Strategic Work Plan 2020. Among others, activities will enhance the Centre's management systems, multi-stakeholder engagement, and strategic planning. It will also increase the number of ASEAN Regional Disaster Simulation Exercise (ARDEX) trainings organised.
- Support from specialised Civil Protection Agencies of EU Member States facilitates learning exchange between ASEAN and the EU through the sharing of EU expertise, skills, and experience. The additional support from the EU Member States' Civil Protection Agencies helps bridge the skills gap, and contributes to the capacity- building of the AHA Centre in managing complex disaster monitoring and response in the context of regional cooperation.
Through the organisation of strategic and knowledge-based activities at the regional, national, and local levels, the programme aims to create a sustainable, innovative and transformative disaster management structure in the region.