I am pleased to deliver this message on the occasion of the 2007 ASEAN Day for Disaster Management 2007 which we observe in conjunction with the International Day for Disaster Reduction on 10 October 2007.

The importance of integrating disaster risk reduction into school activities and enhancing resilience of the school environment is well recognised. The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and other major disasters that followed have amply demonstrated that significant fatalities could have been reduced if vulnerable groups, particularly women and children, were made more aware of the hazards, potential risks and precautionary measures that could be taken. We need to make use of the power of education and knowledge to build resilience of our local communities. Educating children at school not only helps them to be better prepared to face hazards, but they could also be an effective agent to create awareness among adults, their families and communities. ASEAN therefore fully supports this year’s theme for the International Day, “Disaster Risk Reduction Begins at School”, and joins in the global campaign to invest more in school education and safety. The ASEAN Regional Programme on Disaster Management has identified integration of disaster risk reduction into school activities as one of the priority activities to help achieve ASEAN’s vision of a disaster-resilient and safer community by the year 2015.

The ASEAN Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response (AADMER) embodies ASEAN’s commitment to effective disaster risk reduction. The Agreement provides a regional legal framework for ASEAN Member Countries to cooperate in developing and implementing measures to reduce disaster losses, and to establish mechanisms to strengthen regional capacity to respond to disaster emergencies. The Agreement articulates and supports the priorities for action in the Hyogo Declaration and the Hyogo Framework for Action, adopted at the World Conference on Disaster Reduction in January 2005.

To translate the AADMER into concrete actions, ASEAN has put into place various initiatives to achieve disaster risk reduction and to improve response to disaster emergencies. The ASEAN Standby Arrangements of earmarked assets and capacities have been established to facilitate joint disaster relief and emergency response operations. Standard Operating Procedures has been developed to guide the use of ASEAN Standby Arrangements and coordinate joint disaster relief and emergency response operations. ASEAN conducts the annual ASEAN Regional Disaster Emergency Response Simulation Exercise (code-named ARDEX) to test our effectiveness in mobilising resources within the region to countries affected by disasters. An ASEAN Disaster Information Sharing and Communication Network (DISCNet) has been established to facilitate information sharing and decision making.

We recognise that preventive measures should be of higher priority rather than responding to disasters. Therefore we are giving more emphasis to public education and awareness, training, research and capacity building. Safety of school children will feature among our priority activities in implementing the preventive measures.

I would like to express my appreciation to the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR), which has invited ASEAN again for a joint regional celebration on 10 October 2007 in Bangkok, Thailand. Celebrating our ASEAN Day in conjunction with the International Day demonstrates our commitment that disaster risk reduction is a major global concern that can only be effectively addressed by coordinated actions at the national, regional and global levels. As we commemorate these events, we should reflect on the unnecessary loss, injury and suffering of young innocent school children that could have been prevented if we adults had put in place adequate measures, and more importantly given the children the knowledge to defend themselves. Let us resolve not to witness such tragic losses in future. Let us use this opportunity to remind ourselves that disaster risk reduction measures should start from our own home, schools and our communities. Let us together build the culture of resilience and safety in our region and around the world.