Overview

This section examines the impact of disasters on the population in the ASEAN region and the mechanisms developed within ASEAN – and internationally – for responding. AADMER (ASEAN Agreement on Disaster Management) is at the centre of the ASEAN efforts for regional coordination of disaster management. The implementation of AADMER and its work plans is overseen by ACDM (the ASEAN Committee on Disaster Management – with representation from each of the ASEAN Member States), offering leadership and guidance. The AHA Centre (ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance) acts as main regional coordinating centre, working with international agencies to support and coordinate responses to disasters. The AMMDM (Ministerial Meeting on Disaster Management) provides high level leadership and engagement. All of this organisational infrastructure and its achievements have made disaster management and its strategic planning a notable strength within the ASEAN organisation.

Key Findings

The disaster risk profile of ASEAN is changing

Slow onset disasters such as drought and regular inundation, driven by climate change, are imposing the highest developmental costs, while ‘sudden onset’ disasters are increasing in frequency and magnitude, imposing sudden shocks on livelihoods and economies.

Disaster costs are growing at a rate faster than disaster management capacities

Disaster costs (environmental, social and economic) are growing at a rate faster than disaster management capacities, impeding development outcomes especially among the communities most vulnerable to disaster. Developing ASEAN disaster management capacities will improve efficacy of disaster management and sustainability of ASEAN development.

Nature Based Solutions

Nature Based Solutions capable of implementation for building resilience in disaster-prone communities will benefit from central evaluation to ensure effectiveness, with implementation to be local. This approach highlights the complex intersections between natural disasters, climate change and the natural environment.

Policy Implications

As ASEAN’s disaster risk profile evolves, especially in the face of climate change, so must the institutional and policy response in order to build resilience to slow onset disasters, rather than being primarily reactive to sudden onset disasters. The changes are largely predictable, and need to be studied with a Foresight approach for accuracy and local relevance.

Leveraging climate change investments strategically by using ‘Green Funding’ to create sustained development strategies for strengthening resilience, can reduce disaster vulnerabilities through increasing adaptive capacities – creating a holisitic sustainable development approach that is aligned with AADMER’s current work plan.

The current high level of dependence upon fragmented external financing is incompatible with regional ambitions for self-reliance, policy ownership and co-ordinated planning and response.

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