Conclusion

ASEAN has increasingly developed a regional identity and closer cooperation among its 10 member-states – i.e., Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. ASEAN’s major principles include respect for all nations’ independence, sovereignty, equality, territorial integrity, and national identity, as well as promoting peaceful dispute settlement, non-interference in internal affairs, and effective regional cooperation. Disaster response and DRR, including climate change adaptation, are areas where ASEAN has made key progress integrating these principles and developing regional cooperation.

ASEAN cooperation in HADR has flourished since the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami, which killed nearly 230,000 people in coastal communities around the Indian Ocean and was a major catalyst for HADR cooperation.307 While approximately a dozen countries from Asia to Africa suffered some casualties, Indonesia was the worst affected with over 130,000 deaths and other hard-hit ASEAN member-states included Thailand and Myanmar. This massive regional catastrophe spurred the 2005 negotiation of AADMER by the ACDM, which itself had just been established in 2003.

The successful completion of AADMER marked the world’s first binding regional guidelines on disaster response. Under AADMER, ASEAN established disaster preparedness and emergency response mechanisms and tools, including the ARDEX series, ASEAN-ERAT, SASOP, and the AHA Centre as mechanisms facilitating a more unified ASEAN approach to disaster preparedness and response. The inaugural ARDEX was conducted in late 2005 in Malaysia. Subsequent ARDEX exercises have been conducted on a regular basis to test regional processes and capabilities, rotating among ASEAN host countries and disaster scenarios.308 Out of ARDEX-07, hosted by Singapore in 2007, came the idea for an ASEAN rapid assessment team, which eventually became the ERAT. The response to Cyclone Nargis, which struck Myanmar in 2008, saw the initial deployment of ERAT.309 Following Cyclone Nargis, the ASEAN SASOP was published in 2009. The SASOP provided procedures for joint disaster relief and emergency response operations, including the utilization of military and civilian assets and capacities.310 The establishment of the AHA Centre in 2011 marked another operational development for ASEAN disaster management. The AHA Centre primarily works closely with NDMOs of ASEAN member-states on disaster monitoring, preparedness, and response, leveraging ASEAN resources to build each country’s capacity. The AHA Centre also partners with international organizations, civil society, and the private sector, thus expanding its global networks.

In 2016, ASEAN leaders signed the One ASEAN One Response declaration on responding to disasters in a unified way both within and outside the ASEAN region. Following this, the ASEAN Joint Disaster Response Plan (AJDRP) was developed in 2017311 and Operationalising One ASEAN One Response was released in 2018.312 All of these developments have contributed to ASEAN building capacity for stronger coordination, faster response, and mobilizing greater resources. Notably, 2018 also saw stronger localized and regional responses to earthquakes in Indonesia, including after the 28 September earthquake and tsunami that struck Palu on Sulawesi Island. Indonesia was very discerning about foreign assistance, only accepting a limited amount that was targeted in scope from foreign organizations with a record of working in Indonesia.313 ASEAN also had an increased operational role, as the Palu response was the first time ASEAN-UN interoperability was implemented between the AHA Centre and UN OCHA. Indonesia’s disaster management agency, BNPB, assigned ASEAN-ERAT to setup and manage the on-site JOCCA, which later hosted members of the UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination Team.314