Asean bets on new framework to remedy ‘uneven’ disaster response

2026.03.18 02:50 Rescuers evacuate a woman after Tropical Storm Penha hit the area in Iligan, in the Philippines’ Lanao del Norte province, on February 6. Photo: AFP A framework proposed at an Asean ministers’ meeting is set to propel disaster management to the top of the agenda for the bloc, further easing cooperation and decision-making in a region facing nearly US$18 trillion in disaster risk exposure. Analysts say the proposal, if implemented, would help strengthen anticipatory action that could enable the bloc to act even before a formal request from a member state. At the 35th Asean Socio-Cultural Community Council Meeting in Manila on March 5, bloc chair the Philippines led talks on the Asean Strategic Protocol for Emergency and Comprehensive Transformation (ASPECT) Framework. “This is a strategic initiative to strengthen Asean’s disaster response and enhance regional coordination,” said Philippine social welfare secretary Rex Gatchalian. “It will also signal our commitment to One Asean, One Response to leaving no one behind, especially sectors in vulnerable situations.” Southeast Asia is one of the world’s most disaster-prone regions and faces US$17.9 trillion in disaster risk exposure – six times the size of its total gross domestic product, according to Adelina Kamal, an independent policy consultant and former executive director of the Asean Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management (AHA Centre). Kamal said ASPECT was likely to complement the existing Asean Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response (AADMER), a legally binding treaty formulated in response to the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami that claimed more than 200,000 lives. The implementation of AADMER – in effect since 2009 – led to the establishment of the AHA Centre, which coordinates the region’s aid and relief efforts in disaster-hit member states. Flood waters submerge residential buildings in Hat Yai, in Thailand’s southern Songkhla province, in November

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