Bangkok, 20 October 2022 — The Second ASEAN-China Ministerial Meeting on Disaster Management (2nd AMMDM Plus China), held on 20 October 2022, in Bangkok, Thailand, have reiterated their commitment to pursue the establishment of the ASEAN-China Centre for Emergency Management Cooperation (ACCEMC) in Guangxi, China. To this end, the two sides had agreed to commence negotiations on a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to Establish the ACCEMC.

At the 1st AMMDM Plus China, held virtually on 14 October 2021, ASEAN and China adopted the ASEAN-China Work Plan on Disaster Management, outlining the shared priorities to contribute to the implementation of the ASEAN Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response (AADMER) Work Programme 2021-2025, including in disaster risk reduction, prevention and mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery.

The establishment of the ACCEMC would serve as a key deliverable in the ASEAN-China Work Plan on Disaster Management, especially in contributing to the areas of capacity building and facilitating exchanges in knowledge and experience. The ACCEMC is expected to be synergized and complement the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on disaster management (AHA Centre), which is the primary ASEAN regional coordinating agency on disaster management and emergency response.

The 2nd AMMDM Plus China reaffirms the commitment of ASEAN and China to strengthen cooperation in disaster management to build resilience in the ASEAN region. The 2nd AMMDM Plus China was jointly co-chaired between H.E. Pol. Lt. Gen. Nadhapit Snidvongs, Vice Minister of Interior of the Kingdom of Thailand, on behalf of the Chair of the AMMDM in 2022, and H.E. ZHOU Xuewen, Vice-Minister, Ministry of Emergency Management of the People’s Republic of China