Indonesia Urges ASEAN Towards Long-Term Disaster Resilience

Indonesia is strongly urging the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to enhance its capacity to respond to the impacts of climate change and natural disasters from a long-term perspective. The Indonesian government emphasized the importance of establishing a strategic framework for future large-scale disaster preparedness, going beyond immediate humanitarian aid and recovery efforts during disaster events. This includes disaster risk assessment, strengthening early warning systems, enhancing infrastructure resilience, and expanding information sharing and joint exercises within the region. In particular, the increasing frequency and intensity of extreme weather events in recent years have become an urgent common challenge for the entire ASEAN region, heightening the need for concerted efforts among member states. Indonesia also proposed strengthening the functions of the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management (AHA Centre) and deepening partnerships with international organizations, NGOs, and the private sector. This proposal is positioned not only as disaster management but also as a contribution to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and stabilizing the regional economy. The recognition that minimizing disaster damage and achieving rapid recovery is essential for the economic growth and stable livelihoods of ASEAN nations underlies this initiative. Indonesia, leveraging its role as ASEAN Chair, has expressed its intention to lead discussions towards this long-term disaster resilience enhancement. Source: Antara News (English)