As part of its efforts to further promote cooperation with ASEAN, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the ASEAN Humanitarian Assistance Coordination Center for Disaster Reduction (AHA Center) on October 12 to promote cooperation in disaster risk reduction in the ASEAN region, including the operation of a disaster information management system.
The signing took place at a side event of the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Disaster Management held in Halong, Vietnam from October 11 to 13, in the presence of Mr. Manabu Horii, Vice Minister of the Cabinet Office of Japan, and other participants from Japan. The “Halong Ministerial Statement on Strengthening Proactive Actions in Disaster Management in ASEAN” adopted at the Ministerial Meeting identified “disaster risk information, forecasting and early warning systems” as an area in need of immediate strengthening, and JICA’s cooperation with the AHA Center will contribute to strengthening these areas.
Like Japan, the ASEAN region is prone to earthquakes, tsunamis, typhoons, and other natural disasters, and has suffered extensive and devastating damage in the past. In particular, the countries along the Indian Ocean coast suffered serious damage from the massive tsunami that followed a major earthquake off the coast of Sumatra, Indonesia in 2004. Subsequent major disasters have occurred repeatedly, including the 2008 cyclone in Myanmar and the 2013 typhoon (Typhoon Yolanda) in the Philippines.
To date, JICA has provided a wide range of cooperation with Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines, and other ASEAN countries on disaster risk reduction, including the formulation of disaster risk reduction plans, infrastructure development, and human resource development to strengthen disaster risk reduction capacity, by utilizing Japan’s experience and technology in disaster risk reduction, which is one of its strengths.
Although cooperation has so far focused on bilateral cooperation, the signing of the MOU with the AHA Center, which serves as a disaster management hub for the ASEAN region, will support the establishment of a disaster management network that integrates the ASEAN region, and further promote cooperation that will contribute to deeper ASEAN integration. In addition, by promoting the exchange of human resources and the sharing of knowledge and experience in the field of disaster management between Japan and the ASEAN region, we aim to strengthen the “connectivity of people and knowledge” in the ASEAN region.
© Source JICA