Photo credit: National Disaster Management Authority of Pakistan (NDMA)

Islamabad, Pakistan, 21–22 January 2026 - The Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC) participated in the 10th Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) Ministerial Meeting on Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR), which was preceded by the High-Level Working Group Meeting (HLWGM), held in Islamabad. 

It was jointly organized by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) of the Government of Pakistan and the ECO.

The meeting aimed to advance the regional DRR agenda by renewing political commitment, aligning priorities, and strengthening cooperation to enhance resilience across the ECO region.

ADPC was represented by Mr. Sajid Naeem, Senior Disaster Risk Management Specialist and Country Representative. In his statement, Mr. Naeem highlighted the strong alignment between ADPC’s mandate and the objectives, goals, and regional priorities outlined in the ECO Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2025–2030. He emphasized ADPC’s potential role in supporting ECO Member States through enhanced regional collaboration, including joint capacity-building initiatives, regional risk knowledge sharing, harmonization of DRR approaches, and support for monitoring progress under the ECO DRR Framework.

Photo credit: National Disaster Management Authority of Pakistan (NDMA)

The meeting brought together ECO Member States - Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Türkiye, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. Observers included the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, the Asia and Pacific Centre for Development of Disaster Information Management (APDIM), ADPC, UNICEF, and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

Photo credit: National Disaster Management Authority of Pakistan (NDMA)

During the closing ceremony, with participation of Dr. Musadik Masood Malik, Federal Minister for Climate Change and Environmental Coordination, Member States formally adopted the “Islamabad Declaration on Disaster Risk Reduction.” The Declaration reaffirmed collective political commitment to strengthening disaster risk governance, promoting regional cooperation, and accelerating the implementation of the ECO Framework for DRR to build a more resilient ECO region.

For more information, please contact: adpc@adpc.net