ASEAN Agreement on disaster management and emergency response (AADMER) work programme 2021-2025

The ASEAN Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response (AADMER), a legally binding regional agreement, was signed in 2005 and ratified on 24 December 2009 to address concerns of vulnerability to natural disasters which are increasing in intensity and frequency, and to guide the regional cooperation in the field of disaster management and response. Since its inception, it has galvanised ASEAN to take concrete action towards building a safe and united ASEAN Community through disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation initiatives.

With the aim of continuing the momentum made by the ASEAN in over a decade on regional disaster management collaborations, the AADMER Work Programme 2021-2025 was developed based on the foundation laid out by the AADMER itself. It is guided by the vision set by the AADMER to “build a region of disaster-resilient nations, mutually assisting and complementing one another, sharing a common bond in minimising adverse effects of disasters in pursuit of safer communities and sustainable development”. For 2021-2025, the mission is to “enhance and support ASEAN’s disaster risk reduction and disaster management capabilities through inter-sectoral cooperation, capacity building, scalable innovation, resource mobilisation, new partnerships, and stronger coordination among ASEAN Member States”.

In addition, the new work programme incorporates the main provisions of key ASEAN agreements and documents, such as ASEAN Vision 2025 on Disaster Management; ASEAN Declaration on One ASEAN One Response (OAOR), the ASEAN ICT Roadmap on Disaster Management for 2025 14 and beyond, and other regional agreements. It also goes one step further by aligning itself with relevant global agreements, including the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 (SFDRR); the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development. By aligning with the SFDRR and the relevant SDGs, the AADMER Work Programme 2021-2025 will not only implement the relevant provisions of the AADMER but relevant global targets and goals that are scalable and regionally applicable.