Under the leadership of International Strategy on Disaster Reduction (UN-ISDR) Working Group-3 (WG3), UN-HABITAT and UNDP, in collaboration with OAS (Organization of American States), ADPC is implementing a research project on "Inventory of experiences and practices on the application of risk-vulnerability-impact assessment tools". ADPC is taking the lead role in the Asian region for the collection of experiences and tools.

The ASEAN plays an important role in promoting regional cooperation in Disaster Management. There are several examples of ASEAN initiatives on regional cooperation on disaster reduction that may be cited, such as the Haze Technical Task Force, ASEAN Senior Officials on the Environment, ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Haze, ASEAN Committee for Disaster Management. The most recent success was the signing of the Agreement on Trans-boundary Haze Pollution, on November 25, 2003. This agreement is designed to prevent haze from land and forest fires through monitoring, assessment and prevention, technical cooperation and scientific research, mechanisms for coordination, lines of communication, information exchange, simplified customs and immigration procedures for emergency response and disaster relief, and the establishment of an ASEAN Coordinating Centre for activities under the agreement. For more information on the agreement click here

Last year, ADPC was commissioned by the ASEAN Secretariat to conduct a feasibility study for the establishment of an ASEAN Emergency Response and Strategic Planning Institute for Environmental Disasters. The study is being carried out by a team of consultants from ADPC, with representative from the Asian Disaster Reduction Center, ADRC. The first time this idea was conceived was during the Eighth ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on the Environment held in October 2000. ASOEN was requested to explore this initiative in consultation with existing ASEAN mechanisms and was tabled during several subsequent meetings of ASEAN. In November 2001 at the 8th Joint SRFA Meeting, ASEAN presented the draft of terms of reference (TOR), and it was recommended that the study should be conducted in all ASEAN Member Countries, AMC. Presently, the study is underway and several consultations have taken place in all AMCs.

For more information on the study contact Mr Aloysius Rego, Team Leader, Disaster Management Systems at ajrego@adpc.net or Ms Lolita Bildan, Project Manager, Climate Risk Management Program at lolita@adpc.net