ASEAN disaster law and public health emergencies

The “riskscape” of ASEAN is evolving with the effects of climate change compounded by the widespread impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, with increased potential for cross-over between disasters and large-scale public health emergencies (PHE) in the future. The recent experience of the COVID-19 pandemic brought to the fore the important relationship between disaster risk management (DRM) and PHE frameworks in the ASEAN region. This collaboration between the ASEAN Committee for Disaster Management (ACDM) and the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) examines regional and national level DRM frameworks and their consideration of PHEs.

The project involved a mapping of ASEAN national and regional DRM frameworks (which include laws, policies, strategies, guidelines and other sources) to understand the extent to which they consider the needs of PHEs. Based on those findings, guidelines were developed to assist national- and regional-level decision-makers to consider opportunities for DRM frameworks to address PHEs as a part of a multi-hazard approach.