Implementing Sendai Framework to reduce humanitarian burden: ASEAN resilience in practice

As part of the World Humanitarian Summit, a number of side events were held to facilitate discussion around themes relevant to the Summit, and for a variety of humanitarian organisations and stakeholders to discuss challenges, opportunities, approaches and initiatives in an interactive manner.

MERCY Malaysia, together with the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), the ASEAN Coordination Center for Humanitarian Response (AHA Center), the Global Network of Civil Society Organizations for Disaster Reduction (GNDR) and the European Commission’s Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection Department (ECHO) organised the Side Event on ‘Implementing the Sendai Framework to Reduce the Humanitarian Burden: ASEAN Resilience in Practice’.

The side events not only made the case for increased investment in local disaster risk reduction efforts, improvement in coordination among disaster management and humanitarian actors, but also the implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (SFDRR) 2015-2030. In particular, the Side Event led a debate on how building resilience to disasters can help reduce the humanitarian burden within the specific context of ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations) countries which have been at the centre of some of the world’s worst recent disasters.

It is in response to the commitment to reinforce national and local leadership and capacities in managing disaster and climate-related risks through strengthened preparedness and predictable response and recovery arrangements (WHS Core Commitment Number 2) in the ASEAN context, which ties back to SFDRR Priorities for Action which links to the commitments made by States at WCDRR to the building of resilience to disasters with a renewed sense of urgency within the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication.