POST-2015 AADMER STRATEGIC POLICY DIALOGUE

RSIS in collaboration with ASEAN Secretariat and the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), facilitated the Post-2015 ASEAN Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response (AADMER) Strategic Policy Dialogue. The event was held in Mandarin Orchard Hotel, Singapore on 2 November 2015. Mr K Shanmugam, Minister of Home Affairs, Singapore delivered the opening address.

AADMER came into force in December 2009 as a legally-binding document to develop a regional cooperation mechanism in disaster management. The policy dialogue was held to identify key strategies on the direction that ASEAN will need to take to respond to regional and global trends in disaster-related issues and to propose recommendations on key strategic policies for the development of the AADMER Work Programme (AWP) in the next 10 years. The ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance (AHA Centre), the implementation body of AADMER, will carry out the recommendations detailed in the AWP.

The event was attended by more than 70 representatives from the public, private and people sectors in the Asia-Pacific region, including current and former ASEAN Secretary-Generals Mr Le Luong Minh, Dr Surin Pitsuwan (2008-2012) and Ambassador Ong Keng Yong (2003-2007); Chair of ASEAN Committee on Disaster Management, Mr Ross Sovann, and Executive Director of AHA Centre, Mr Said Faisal. The Public forum was followed by a closed-door meeting of the ASEAN Committee on Disaster Management.