ASEAN Member States are in one of the most disaster-prone regions of the world with seven out of the ten countries ranked globally as “very highly” or “highly” exposed to natural hazards. Although ASEAN has achieved remarkable economic growth and social development in recent years, this progress is threatened by the increasing frequency and severity of disasters.
Disasters can wipe out decades of investment in human development. Such events have a direct impact on household incomes,2 livelihoods, food security and access to basic services. However, some actions taken by households to cope, such as reducing food consumption, withdrawing children from school, or selling productive assets, ultimately increase their vulnerability and dramatically affect well-being. This further undermines hard won development gains, contributes to the transmission of poverty from one generation to the next, ultimately undermining economic growth.
