Jakarta, July 30, 2026 – The Europe Today: Indonesia, serving as Chair of the ASEAN Committee on Disaster Management (ACDM) in 2026, has called for a regional policy shift from disaster risk reduction to long-term sustainable resilience, urging stronger international cooperation to better prepare Southeast Asia for future disasters and crises.
Speaking at the 48th ACDM and Related Meetings in Bandung, Director General for ASEAN Cooperation at Indonesia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ina Krisnamurthi, stressed that broad international partnerships are essential to strengthening the region’s capacity to anticipate, prevent and respond effectively to disasters.
According to a statement issued by the Foreign Ministry on Wednesday, Krisnamurthi emphasized that cooperation between ASEAN and its dialogue partners should go beyond emergency response and focus on building a comprehensive framework for sustainable resilience.
“Without cooperation, sustainable resilience cannot be realised,” she said, highlighting the importance of collective action in addressing increasingly complex disaster risks.
Held under the theme “From ASEAN to Global: Strengthening Community Preparedness and Leadership for Sustainable Resilience,” the meeting focused on improving the use of disaster risk data to support faster, more coordinated responses before emergencies escalate.
National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) Principal Secretary Rustian underscored the importance of effectively implementing the 2026–2030 ASEAN Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response (AADMER) Work Programme, saying it is critical to ensuring that resilience initiatives produce tangible benefits for communities across the region.
Rustian noted that sustainable resilience should serve as a practical, cross-sector framework for ASEAN cooperation and emphasized that community-based preparedness aligns with the objectives of the ASEAN Community Vision 2045.
As ACDM Chair, Indonesia announced plans to strengthen regional early warning mechanisms, including the ASEAN Multi-Hazard Early Warning and Preparedness System (AMPD), while encouraging sustainable investment to improve disaster preparedness and enhance local response capabilities.
The meeting brought together representatives from all 10 ASEAN member states and nine dialogue partners—Australia, Canada, the European Union, France, New Zealand, Russia, Türkiye, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Representatives from leading international organizations, including the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), and the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC), also participated in the discussions.
