I am pleased to deliver this message on the occasion of the ASEAN Day for Disaster Management 2006 which we observe in conjunction with the International Day for Disaster Reduction on 11 October 2006.

This year’s theme for the International Day for Disaster Reduction, “Disaster Risk Reduction Begins at School”, assumes enormous significance as we recall in the past year the many disasters that occurred in the region caused by floods, typhoons, landslides, another major earthquake and tsunami, and land and forest fires, among others. We have been witness to their detrimental impacts on our peoples’ lives and property, our economy, and the environment. Education and public awareness are key to long-term efforts towards disaster reduction. The local community particularly those highly vulnerable should be the main target for disaster risk reduction efforts. Therefore, investment in disaster reduction and management must be vested on the local community. Priority should be given to community-based development programmes and poverty eradication. ASEAN, therefore, is committed to disaster risk reduction and response through the pursuit of this theme as a critical strategy towards achieving sustainable development in the region.

The ASEAN Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response (AADMER) embodies ASEAN’s commitment to effective disaster risk reduction. It is the regional legal framework for cooperation and collaboration in disaster risk reduction and response among ASEAN Member Countries, both at the national and regional level. It aims to provide effective mechanisms to achieve substantial reduction of disaster losses in lives and in the social, economic and environmental assets of ASEAN Member Countries. It articulates and supports the priorities for action in the Hyogo Declaration and the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA), adopted at the World Conference on Disaster Reduction in January 2005.

To translate the Agreement into concrete actions, ASEAN has put into motion many disaster risk reduction initiatives, and emergency response and relief operations in the region.  ASEAN member countries responded swiftly to the May 2006 earthquake in Yogyakarta, and the July 2006 tsunami in West Java, Indonesia. To further enhance coordination in disaster response operations, ASEAN conducted three weeks ago its second regional disaster emergency response simulation exercise, ARDEX-06, in Cambodia, simulating a flashflood scenario in Takhmau City along the Tonle Bassac River, with the participation of search and rescue, and relief teams from member countries.

To further enhance the capacity of ASEAN Member Countries in disaster risk reduction, particularly in implementing the HFA, ASEAN will embark on a three-year ASEAN-Hyogo Framework for Action Regional Capacity Building Programme starting with a workshop on training needs assessment in early December 2006. This workshop will take stock of existing capacity-building programmes within the region and in Member Countries, identify current needs, and develop a regional strategy for implementing education and training activities on disaster risk reduction and response. Furthermore, ASEAN is vigorously pursuing the implementation of the ASEAN Regional Programme on Disaster Management (ARPDM) 2004-2010, which promotes concerted regional cooperation and multi-stakeholder partnership in disaster risk reduction and disaster response.

I would like to express my appreciation to the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR), which has invited ASEAN for a joint regional celebration on 11 October 2006 in Bangkok, Thailand. Celebrating our ASEAN Day in conjunction with the International Day signifies our commitment that disaster risk reduction is increasingly becoming a major global concern that can only be effectively addressed by coordinated action at the national, regional and global levels.

While much has been accomplished, much remains to be done. ASEAN shall be steadfast in its commitment and resolve to disaster risk reduction.  Disasters remain to be a major impediment to the progress and prosperity of ASEAN, setting back development and worsening poverty. We shall continue to promote disaster prevention and mitigation. We shall endeavor to mainstream disaster risk reduction into national development initiatives. We shall continue to promote cooperation and collaboration in disaster reduction. We shall continue to invest in early warning systems that help to save lives and reduce losses.  We shall continue to build understanding and awareness of disaster risks in our midst and how to reduce them. We shall always endeavor to be prepared and ready to act in times of disaster.  All these are meant for ASEAN to achieve its vision of resilient nations and a safer region by the year 2020.

ONG KENG YONG