(KPL/Xinhua) The 46th meeting of the ASEAN Committee on Disaster Management (ACDM) and related meetings kicked off in northwest Cambodia's Siem Reap province on Tuesday, discussing ways to advance regional collaboration and resilience.

Cambodian Senior Minister Kun Kim, first vice president of the National Committee for Disaster Management (NCDM), presided over the opening ceremony of the four-day event, which brought together ASEAN disaster management senior officials and experts, as well as Timor-Leste as an observer, said an NCDM press release.

Representatives from ASEAN dialogue partners, namely China, Japan, and South Korea, also participated in the regional meeting, the press release added.

The event reaffirmed ACDM's commitment to enhancing regional disaster resilience and to further strengthening partnerships with relevant stakeholders, it said.

ACDM serves as a regional platform for enhancing cooperation among ASEAN member countries focused on disaster risk reduction and management, enhancing resilience and preparedness for disasters through capacity building and exchange of good practices.

"The ACDM has increasingly contributed to the coordination and proactive approach to disaster management to enhance the safety, well-being and resilience of communities across the Southeast Asian region through the implementation of the ASEAN Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response," the press release said.

ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations) groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

KPL