Following 2 steps show India's commitment towards disaster management

First:

ASEAN renews efforts for collective response to disasters in and outside the region 

The ASEAN Secretariat, in partnership with Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) launched the ASEAN Declaration “One ASEAN, One Response: ASEAN Responding to Disasters as One in the Region and Outside the Region” here today.

The declaration is a commitment from ten ASEAN Member States to provide faster and collective response to disasters in and outside the region.

“ASEAN, as one community, will share experience and expertise gained from its disaster responses in the region to friends and partners in the global community. It is also committed to working closely with regional and international disaster management and humanitarian players to provide the much needed assistance to affected communities to quickly alleviate their sufferings after any disaster,” said ASEAN’s Deputy Secretary-General for Socio-Cultural Community Mr Vongthep Arthakaivalvatee.

Between 2004 and 2014, the ASEAN region recorded more than 50% of the total global disaster fatalities or 3,54,000 of the 7,00,000 deaths in disasters worldwide. The total economic loss was estimated at US$91 billion. In the last decade, the region suffered from two high-impact, large-scale disasters that captured the attention of the world namely the 2008 Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar and the 2013 Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines.

Prone to disasters, ASEAN considers disaster management and humanitarian assistance one of its top priorities. Asa community that stands ready to provide relief and recovery efforts to the population affected by disasters, ASEAN has appointed its Secretary-General as the ASEAN Humanitarian Assistance Coordinator to be activated in times of severe calamity. It also formed a voluntary pool of ASEAN-Emergency Response and Assessment Team and established the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance (AHA Centre) as the primary ASEAN regional coordinating agency on disaster management and emergency response.

In peacetime, ASEAN continues its collective efforts to build a robust disaster planning and preparedness through the implementation of the ASEAN Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response.

Adopted by the Heads of State/Government during the ASEAN Summit in Vientiane in September 2016, the ASEAN Declaration “One ASEAN, One Response: ASEAN Responding to Disasters as One in the Region and Outside the Region” aims to achieve faster response, mobilise greater resources and establish stronger coordination to ensure ASEAN’s collective response to disasters. It also emphasises the role of ASEAN in rendering support and sharing accumulated expertise in disaster management to other parts of the world.

Second:

India, UNISDR sign Statement of Cooperation on Sendai Framework 

Reiterate commitment and cooperation towards Disaster Risk Reduction

India and United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction signed a Statement of Cooperation during the second day of the Asian Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (AMCDRR) 2016 here today.

The Statement underlined the guiding principles, objectives and areas of cooperation between India and UNISDR towards the effective implementation and monitoring of the Sendai Framework on Disaster Risk Reduction (SFDRR), which was adopted at the Third World Conference on DRR at Sendai in Japan in March, 2015.

India will partner with UNISDR to work towards strengthening the capacity of Asian countries in ensuring risk resilient development. It will also facilitate the sharing of knowledge and experiences, and collaborative efforts towards addressing critical regional challenges.

The cooperation aims to ensure effective implementation and monitoring of the Sendai Framework through Training and capacity building for Asian countries; promoting international and regional cooperation to reinforce political commitment, facilitate knowledge sharing and strengthen the capacity of UNISDR for monitoring and review of the Sendai Framework.

The statement was officially signed by Shri. Bipin Mallick, Additional Secretary, Government of India and Mr. Robert Glasser, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction.