(KPL/VNA) – The 11th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Disaster Management (AMMDM) is scheduled to take place in Ha Long city, the northern province of Quang Ninh, from October 8 to 13.

The 11th AMMDM will be attended by eight ministers, four deputy ministers, and over 140 other delegates who are leaders and officials of disaster prevention and control agencies of the 10 ASEAN member countries, the ASEAN Secretariat, the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management (AHA Centre), development partners of the bloc (China, the Republic of Korea, and Japan), and some international organisations in the region. Timor-Leste will take part in the event as an observer.

The meeting will see the presence of the largest number of ministers and deputy ministers so far, heard a press conference held in Ha Long on October 6.

Pham Duc Luan, Director of the Vietnam Disaster and Dyke Management Authority under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, said Southeast Asia is a region hit hard by climate change and forecast to face increasingly frequent and intensive natural disasters. Therefore, disaster risk management is a cooperation area attracting ASEAN members’ attention for many years through various coordination mechanisms.

Vietnam has been establishing itself as an active and prestigious member of ASEAN, he said, noting that the bloc’s cooperation in disaster management is part of the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community.

Vietnam holds the rotating chairmanship of the ASEAN Committee on Disaster Management (ACDM) in 2023, when it will host the 11th AMMDM, annual ACDM meetings, and related activities.

Activities to be organised in the next few days include the 11th AMMDM; the AMMDM Plus China, AMMDM Plus Japan, and AMMDM Plus RoK; the 43rd annual ACDM meeting; the ACDM Plus meetings with the three Northeast Asian countries; the 19th meeting of the AHA Centre’s Governing Board; and the 4th ASEAN Disaster Resilience Platform.

A running tournament with the participation of 1,000 people and another event in response to the ASEAN Day for Disaster Management (October 13) will also take place, Luan noted.

The 11th AMMDM is expected to adopt a Ha Long declaration on early action in disaster management in ASEAN, he went on, adding that the declaration is an initiative proposed by Vietnam.

Luan said the hosting of the 11th AMMDM and related events is both a responsibility and also a chance for the country to promote its role in the ASEAN cooperation in disaster management, the building of the ASEAN Community, and the bloc’s relations with partners. It will also help Vietnam make use of partners and international community’s experience and resources to support disaster prevention and control efforts in the country and contribute to the building of a disaster-resilient ASEAN Community.

KPL