Vietnam to host ASEAN ministerial meeting on disaster management

The ASEAN ministerial meeting will take place from October 8-13 in the northern coastal province of Quảng Ninh, according to a statement at the press conference held by Vietnam Disaster and Dyke Management Authority (VNDDMA) under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in collaboration with Báo Nông nghiệp Vietnam (Vietnam Agriculture) newspaper.

The regional event will attract the participation of eight ASEAN ministers, four ASEAN deputy ministers and more than 140 foreign delegates who are leaders, officials and experts from natural disaster prevention and control agencies of the 10 ASEAN member countries.

In attendance also includes representatives from the ASEAN Secretariat, the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management (AHA Centre), ASEAN development partners from other countries including China, South Korea and Japan, and a number of international organisations in the region, the statement said.

At the press conference, activities on the framework of the 11th AMMDM and in Vietnam's 2023 Chairmanship were announced with the theme "From Response to early Action and Strengthening Resilience - ASEAN Moves Towards the Goal of Global Leadership in Natural Disaster Management".

Pham Duc Luan, Director of the VNDDMA, said Viêt Nam has been showing itself to be an active and highly reputable member in ASEAN, of which natural disasters management is a content of ASEAN's cooperation within the "socio-cultural community pillar".

Currently, the VNDDMA is a focal agency participating in regional cooperation mechanisms on natural disaster management, said Luan.

Currently, the VNDDMA is a focal agency participating in regional cooperation mechanisms on natural disaster management, said Luan.

As a rotation of among ASEAN countries, in 2023, Vietnam assumes the position of Chairman of the ASEAN Committee on Disaster Management (ACDM), the 11th AMMDM, the ACDM annual meetings and other sideline activities.

“This is both important responsibility and opportunity for Vietnam to proactively lead, enhance its position, and demonstrate its role in ASEAN cooperation on natural disaster management in particular and in building the ASEAN community and relationship between ASEAN and its partners in general," according to the official.

In addition, Luan said, assuming the presidency role would also help Vietnam take advantage of experience and resources from partners and the international community for the country's natural disaster prevention and control works and actively contribute to building an ASEAN community with resilience to natural disasters as well as contribute to the common development of the country and the region," he emphasised.

As it has been planned, the 11th AMMDM will adopt the "Ha Long Declaration on Early Action in ASEAN Disaster Management". This is an initiative proposed by Vietnam as a way to make an impression in the year of implementing the ASEAN Chairmanship in natural disaster management.

The meeting will also ratify the protocol of the 11th AMMDM, protocol of the 42nd and 43rd ACDM annual meetings and other related events.

It will review and evaluate the mid-term report on the implementation of the ASEAN Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response (AADMER) for the period 2021-2025, contributing to orienting the building of ASEAN vision on disaster management after 2025 and the period 2025-2030.

Speaking at the press conference, Nguyen Ngoc Thach, Editor-in-Chief of Vietnam Agriculture newspaper, believed that press agencies would widely spread the important messages of the meeting.

He expected with the active participation and high responsibility of journalists, the messages of the meeting towards the realisation of ASEAN Vision 2025 on natural disaster management so as to build ASEAN as a pioneer in disaster management within and beyond the ASEAN region.

As far as the meeting to take place in Quảng Ninh, many other activities will also be held, including a jogging race in response to ASEAN Disaster Management Day on October 8 at Hòn Gai Beach, Hạ Long City with the participation of 1,000 athletes and another event in response to ASEAN Day of Disaster Management and International Day of Natural Disaster Risk Reduction 2023 at Bãi Cháy Primary and Secondary School in Ha Long City.