JAKARTA, 8 June 2021 – Today, the ASEAN Committee on Disaster Management (ACDM) launched the ASEAN Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response (AADMER) Work Programme 2021-2025 and held the 6^th AADMER Partnership Conference.

Since the AADMER entered into force in 2009, ASEAN has achieved many accomplishments through the AADMER Work Programmes (AWP), which would not have beeen possible without the support from ACDM partners.

There were over 100 participants from the ASEAN Member states, ASEAN Secretariat, the AHA Centre, ASEAN Dialogue Partners, ASEAN Sectoral Dialogue Partners, ASEAN Development Partners, AADMER Partnership Group, multilateral development banks, think tanks, as well as international organisations.

Recognising the importance of the AWP and partnerships towards building a disaster-resilient ASEAN Community, the conference aimed to provide a platform for the ACDM’s partners to pledge their interest to support the implementation and possible collaborations in mutual areas of interest based on the outputs of the AWP 2021-2025.

‘’ASEAN has achieved good progress in the field of disaster risk management, manifested in the form of projects and initiatives that have directly benefitted the peoples of ASEAN,’’ said Dr. Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim, Chair of the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Disaster Management, Singapore. ‘’We must continue to join efforts to further enhance the disaster-resiliency of the region, making our region even safer for all, leaving no one behind,” he concluded.

Participants also witnessed the virtual signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Thailand and the AHA Centre for the Establishment and Operationalisation of the ASEAN Satellite Warehouse in the Kingdom of Thailand, followed by the virtual signing of the Memorandum of Intent between the AHA Centre and Temasek Foundation regarding Collaboration to Support Disaster Management in the ASEAN Region.

By the end of the conference, the new AWP received pledges and support from the partners, covering most outputs of all the five priority programmes, namely: (i) Risk Assessment and Monitoring, (ii) Prevention and Mitigation, (iii) Preparedness and Response, (iv) Resilient Recovery, and (v) Global Leadership.