Delegates from ASEAN Member States and international organizations reaffirmed commitment to strengthening cooperation and building sustainable disaster resilience in the region.
The program was co-chaired by Mr. Pham Duc Luan – Director General of the VDDMA, and Mr. Sithu Pe Thein – Director of Operations of the AHA Centre, with the participation of H.E. Julien Guerrier – Ambassador of the European Union to Viet Nam, Mr. Nguyen Ky Anh – Director of Sustainable Development Directorate, ASEAN Secretariat, Ms. Thandi Mwape – Head of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) in Indonesia, together with nearly 100 delegates from Viet Nam’s ministries, central agencies, representatives from ASEAN Member States, international organizations, NGOs and development partners.
Director General Pham Duc Luan delivered the opening remarks.
In his opening speech, Mr. Luan emphasized that Viet Nam is one of the countries most severely affected by natural disasters, and shared the country’s efforts and progress in disaster management – from improving the legal framework, enhancing forecasting and early warning capacity, applying science and technology, to expanding international cooperation. He stressed that this event provides an important opportunity for stakeholders to share experiences, strengthen vision, and enhance linkages between national, regional, and international response mechanisms. On this occasion, he also expressed sincere gratitude to the European Union through the EU-SAHA Project for sponsoring the program, as well as to the AHA Centre, ASEAN Secretariat, and UNOCHA for their support in ensuring the success of the event.
H.E. Julien Guerrier, EU Ambassador to Viet Nam, expressed support for the program.
In his remarks, Ambassador Guerrier affirmed that the European Union has long been a trusted partner of ASEAN in disaster risk reduction. Through the EU-SAHA Project since 2020, the EU has supported key initiatives such as the ASEAN Regional Disaster Emergency Response Simulation Exercise (ARDEX), the ASEAN Joint Disaster Response Plan (AJDRP), the operation of the ASEAN Disaster Information Management Network (AIM-Net), and the strengthening of coordination between ASEAN-ERAT and UNDAC. He emphasized that this cooperation ensures ASEAN’s ability to “respond together” when disasters strike, while building sustainable disaster resilience across the region.
Mr. Sithu Pe Thein, AHA Centre’s Director of Operations, highlighted ASEAN’s disaster management cooperation mechanisms.
Mr. Thein reviewed the milestones that shaped the OAOR vision, from the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami, Cyclone Nargis in 2008, Typhoon Haiyan in 2013, to more recent disaster responses in Viet Nam such as Typhoon Rammasun (2014), Damrey (2017), the Central Viet Nam floods (2019), and Typhoon Yagi (2024). He emphasized that OAOR calls for close coordination among national, regional, and international systems to ensure faster, larger-scale, and more unified responses – achievable only when each ASEAN Member State understands the regional mechanisms and its role within them.
Mr. Nguyen Ky Anh, Director of Sustainable Development Directorate, ASEAN Secretariat, shared insights on the ASEAN Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response (AADMER).
The program featured presentations on Viet Nam’s disaster management system, ASEAN cooperation mechanisms and initiatives, the coordinating role of the AHA Centre, and ASEAN–UN cooperation in emergency response. Delegates also engaged in discussions, exchanging experiences and proposing solutions to improve coordination in disaster prevention and response.
The “One ASEAN One Response Roadshow” is an annual event designed to raise awareness and promote understanding of ASEAN’s regional cooperation mechanisms, thereby strengthening coordination and resource mobilization for disaster response. The event reflects the shared vision of “One ASEAN, One Response” – towards a safer, stronger, and more resilient ASEAN in the face of disasters.
