In September 2024, Typhoon Yagi tore through Southeast Asia, leaving devastation in its wake—claiming lives, displacing communities, and destroying livelihoods. At the same time, over 10,000 kilometres away, in the south of Europe, Portugal was battling raging wildfires that scorched vast areas and triggered evacuations.
The increasing frequency, scale, and complexity of disasters in Southeast Asia underscore the need for strengthened regional cooperation in humanitarian action. The ASEAN region—one of the most disaster-prone in the world—faces a convergence of risks that demand coordinated and forward-looking responses to natural hazards, which have significant socio-economic impacts. Climate change is worsening vulnerabilities across … Strengthening ASEAN-UN Partnership in Disaster Management
Located in the Pacific Ring of Fire, ASEAN is the most disaster-prone region in the world. In just mid-2025, ASEAN has faced close to 2,000 disasters, which have affected 45.6 million persons and displaced 2.1 million persons. Some 6,000 lives were lost, and damages amounted to 5.2 billion US dollars. Singapore, despite its size, contributes … Small State, Big Impact: Singapore’s Role in Strengthening ASEAN’s Disaster Management
The ASEAN Vision 2025 on Disaster Management seeks to position ASEAN as a global leader in disaster management. Towards this, ASEAN continues to build the professional capacities of its disaster management sector, showcase ASEAN’s expertise and achievements worldwide, and form strategic partnerships with global institutions for disaster management cooperation.
In September 2024, two powerful storms, namely Tropical Cyclone Yagi and Tropical Storm Soulik, tore through northern Laos, leaving behind widespread destruction. Homes were destroyed, roads were washed out, and communities were left struggling to recover. It was one of the most devastating natural disasters the country has faced in recent years, highlighting Laos’s vulnerability … Resilience in the Face of Disaster: How Lao PDR Responded to the 2024 Floods
28 March 2025, Myanmar was shaken by a devastating 7.7 magnitude earthquake. The tremor struck at 12:50 pm local time (2:20 pm Malaysian time), with its epicentre in Sagaing Region, northwest Myanmar. As people were still reeling from the impact, a powerful 6.4 aftershock followed soon after, leaving widespread destruction in its wake.
The ASEAN Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response (AADMER) was signed in 2005 and entered into force in 2009. Conceived to systematically and collectively reduce the adverse impacts of disasters in the region, AADMER provides a framework for risk identification, prevention, preparedness, emergency response, and recovery. The establishment of the AHA Centre in 2011 … Myanmar’s Collaborative Disaster Response Efforts with ASEAN Member States
When the ASEAN Leaders signed the ASEAN Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response (AADMER) in 2005, few could have foreseen how central it would become to our regional identity. Two decades on, the agreement remains relevant and is a key driving factor in the formulation of strategies and policies in ASEAN. It has given … Two Decades of AADMER and the Road Ahead