A new milestone has been reached by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in the evolution of disaster management for the region. Recently, the Philippines Senate ratified the ASEAN Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response (AADMER), and with that the agreement is expected to enter into force by the end of 2009. The ratification marks a significant highlight in ASEANs collective efforts to build a disaster-resilient community by the year 2015. The agreement binds ASEAN member states into legal responsibilities to promote regional cooperation and collaboration in reducing disaster losses and intensifying joint emergency response to disasters in the ASEAN region.
Margareta Wahlstrm, the UN Secretary-Generals Special Representative for Disaster Risk Reduction described the agreement as the first of its kind in the world, an agreement that oblige Asian states together to address disaster risk reduction and improve their preparedness for response. It also provides for the establishment of an ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on disaster management (AHA Centre) to undertake operational coordination of activities under the Agreement. Since the signing of the AADMER agreement in 2005, ASEAN has put into place measures for standard operating procedures, training and capacity building, disaster information sharing, communication network, and rapid assessment team. Cyclone Nargis which affected Myanmar last year became a test bed for ASEAN coordinating mechanism and its role as the humanitarian bridge between the international community and the affected population.(i)