Asean body, PH plan disaster response tack

THE Asean Coordinating Center for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management (AHA Center) and the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) of the Philippines have partnered to map out response mechanisms to various forms of disasters striking different parts of the region.

Dubbed the «One Asean, One Response» roadshow, the Asean-OCD converged to highlight the importance of synergy among government agencies, private organizations, and other stakeholders both locally and internationally involved in Disaster Risk Reduction Management (DRRM).

Among those who attended the event were AHA Center Executive Director Lee Yam Ming, OCD Administrator Ariel Nepomuceno and representatives of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC)-member agencies, stakeholders in the private sectors and international partners.

The primary goal of the Asean-OCD, Nepomuceno said, was to cultivate a sense of collective efforts toward enhancing disaster response mechanisms within and outside the Asean region.

«One Asean, One Response» is a vision anchored on bringing all Asean member states together when responding to a major disaster either within or outside the region, particularly to cope with different risky situations in the middle of a disaster, including saving lives. This vision also promotes the interoperability of Asean with the United Nations," the OCD said.

The Asean-OCD had undergone different techniques and approaches in attending to crisis situations in light of changing weather patterns brought by climate change.

Through the roadshow, stakeholders are familiarized with the Asean disaster regional mechanisms and the «One Asean, One Response» vision.

The knowledge-sharing event was held as part of the activities under the