Attachments
SYNOPSIS
In the face of the intensifying climate crisis, a more proactive approach to disaster management is needed for Southeast Asia to enhance its resilience to disasters. S. NANTHINI writes that integrating early warning systems and an anticipatory action approach into the mainstream disaster management infrastructure is essential for the region moving forward.
COMMENTARY
The reality of intensifying climate change is clearly highlighted by the recently released Asia-Pacific Disaster Report 2023, which expanded on the “increasingly serious threat” that climate change-induced disasters pose to the broader Asia-Pacific region. Southeast Asia is particularly vulnerable, with Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam among the top 10 countries by number of disasters in 2022. Given this vulnerability, enhancing disaster resilience is increasingly a key concern of policymakers in Southeast Asia.
This concern is reflected in this year’s edition of the ASEAN Strategic Policy Dialogue on Disaster Management (SPDDM), which was launched in 2015. SPDDM 2023 will be held under the theme of “Disaster Resilience: Investing Today for a Sustainable Region” and will include a keynote discussion on building resilience to climate-induced disasters, a high-level panel discussion on communication and early action for proactive disaster management, and a thematic session on risk governance and innovative technology.